A Little Klaine Magic
by NeverTooOldToBeNerdy
Summary: Kurt and Blaine recieve a very SPECIAL gift from Blaine's eccentric Great-grandmother. Perhaps the family legends about her having 'the Sight' and other magical powers have more truth to them than anyone knew. The boys lives will never be the same again!
1. Chapter 1: The Spark

**A/N: I wish my subconscious would explain itself to me sometimes. Here follows what may prove to be a multichapter exercise in fantasy genre crossover MADNESS, or it might be a jolly good read - who am I to judge?**  
><strong>As usual, I don't own any of the characters, settings or places mentioned herein (although I DO own a small wooden box, so I shall claim that as my kingdom!)<strong>  
><strong>I'm hoping that whoever it is that lives in my head that writes this stuff knows what they are doing (I mean it, seriously, I'm as curious as YOU are as to where this might go - HEY if Chris Colfer can sleep shop I'm allowed to sleep write, aren't I?)<strong>  
><strong>Oh, and be prepared for the occasional breaking of the fourth wall (it will be in bold and parentheses) ,no good whining to me - I'm just the typist for my id!<strong> 

* * *

><p><em>...the silver sparks exploded around the two boys, blinding them utterly as what sounded like a thousand angels sang an impossibly complex and beautiful chord...<em>

**(hmm, perhaps a bit sudden, let's begin a bit earlier and work our way into things)**

Looking back, it probably all began with Blaine's great-grandmother.

The elderly woman had called from her home in Ireland, months before, to congratulate him on his 17th birthday. Blaine had always liked his father's grandmother, despite the fact she was always so formal and proper. He could only recall meeting her once, of course, back when he was 6 or 7 years old, but he looked forward to her occasional letters and her annual phone call with more than mere sense of familial duty.

"...and she really lives in a castle in Ireland?" Kurt asked his boyfriend, "a genuine, real castle?"

"Yes Kurt, her family have lived there for generations apparently, she has a title and everything and the family line stretches back for centuries!"

"So why do you like her so much?" Kurt sipped his drink and enjoyed the warm summer day. First week of the Summer Break and already Kurt could feel the tension draining out of his body.

"It all goes back to when I came out to my parents" the hazel eyes drifted away from Kurt's gaze for a few seconds as their owner momentarily drifted back in time. "I told you how my folks tried to be OK about it all, but Dad especially never quite managed to accept it."

Kurt simply nodded and affectionately squeezed his boyfriend's bare knee.

"Well," Blaine continued leaning back against the tree they had spread their picnic blanket beneath, "one of the first things they said to me was that we mustn't tell the rest of the family, especially not my grandparents. They've always been extremely conservative and intolerant about that sort of thing you see."

"I take it you refer to your Father's mom and dad?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Blaine sighed, "it's weird how someone as cool as Great-Gran could have such stick in the mud descendants." He smiled as Kurt snuggled up against his right thigh and continued his story.

"So it was a real shock when the day after I had the big TALK, Great-Gran called me. I mean, it wasn't my birthday, and she usually only calls once a year, on my birthday, but she rang and demanded to speak to me, and then she just told me to be strong and brave and proud and that her daughter and her grandson ..."

"Your dad and his mother?" Kurt guessed.

"Yeah," Blaine smiled ruefully, "she said that they were fools who would eventually learn how to be real people, and then she told me that my being gay didn't mean she loved me any less, but that my being brave and honest made her love me more, and then she hung up."

"So who told her?" Kurt's confusion was evident.

"I've never found out, " Blaine shook his head, "apparently she's renowned in the family for having 'the sight' or something, some in the family have claimed she's descended from the Fair Folk, you know, the Sidhe."

Kurt wrinkled his brow, rose up onto his knees and stared at Blaine, his lips trying hard NOT to twitch into a smirk. "Are you trying to tell me Mr Anderson, that you are part FAIRY?" The counter-tenor's voice rose to an even higher pitch than normal as he struggled to keep his mirth contained.

"Hell no! " Blaine scowled in mock ferocity, "I'm ALL fairy here I'll have you know! Want me to prove it?" He leant forward and deftly and gently captured Kurt's bottom lip between his teeth, grinning into the kiss as his arms wrapped around the boys slender torso.

"Blaine! Stop it!" Kurt protested, "We're in a park in Lima! Lying together on a picnic blanket is one thing, but making out might attract the wrong sort of attention."

Blaine faked a sulk as he huffed back against the tree again.

"So when she rang you last week, unexpectedly, what did she want?" Kurt went back to snuggling discreetly.

"She just said that she was sending me my Family Birthright, "Blaine flashed his eyes at Kurt's face "you could HEAR the capitalization. She said that it was time, and that I would 'know what to do with the gifts' as I discovered them."

Kurt raised his brow again," how very melodramatic."

"I love Great-Gran dearly, but I think she might be getting a little odd in her advanced years," Blaine sighed.

"Off with the fairies huh?" Kurt giggled as he leaped out of reach of his boyfriend's retaliation. 

When the boys returned to the Anderson residence they discovered a courier van pulling up to the kerb outside. The driver got out of the van and walked over to them, reading an entry on his clipboard and carrying a small sealed pouch.

"Ok, this is really weird," he said scratching his head," please tell me you are NOT Blaine Anderson, because if you are I'm pretty sure I've fallen into an episode of the Twilight Zone somehow."

The boys glanced at each other in puzzlement.

"I'm afraid I am Blaine Anderson," Blaine offered the courier his license to verify his identity," why would that make you nervous?"

The driver replied shakily," Because all I have written on here is that I must deliver this package, directly into the hands of one Blaine Anderson, at this address, at precisely 3.08pm and that he would be one of two teenage boys walking up to the driveway of said address at that exact time." He showed them the instruction slip, confirming that was what was written. "Look, just sign for it and let me get back to the real world, please"

Blaine did so, accepting the package, and a simple envelope that came with it.

A few minutes later Blaine and Kurt were in Blaine's room reading the contents of the envelope. 

* * *

><p><em>My Dearest Blaine,<em>

_By the time you read this I shall be gone. Not dead my dear, do not upset yourself, just gone. I wish I were able to explain this all properly, but I have simply run out of time. The box I have sent you contains your Birthright. It represents the Gifts which have been passed down for countless centuries along our bloodline, and to those we love. Share the Gift, it is meant for you and the one you choose to trust above all others. Be careful in your choice, the one you choose must be as brave and compassionate as you, and these Gifts will bind you together for longer than you could imagine. I doubt I could explain much anyway my dear, as each bearer discovers their own Gifts to be unique unto themselves. Learn to use them wisely, I had despaired of any of my descendants proving worthy to continue my mission, but at last someone answered my prayers and you proved to be both brave and wise enough to be safe to leave to carry on. I wish I could explain more clearly, but you will understand all soon. When you and your chosen are ready, you will know where and how to contact me, until then, I leave you my hopes and wishes and all my love._

_Lady Felicity Danaer_e

* * *

><p>"Well," said Blaine as he stared at the small wooden box that had been within the courier's pouch, shall we open it Kurt?"<p>

"We?"

"She said to think carefully who I would share the gift with, "Blaine smiled as his warm earthy eyes gazed deeply into the oceans of Kurt's. "No thought needed my love, you are the most moral, compassionate and courageous person I have ever met." His simple declaration of utter love and trust made Kurt's heart ache and his eyes begin to shimmer.

Blaine opened the box. Within lay two silvery rings, twisted around each other. He took them out, and they seemed to ripple as they suddenly lay separate in his palm. He offered one of them to Kurt. "I was kind of planning to offer you a ring after we graduated," he smiled shyly, "but I hope it won't freak you out if I bring it forward 12 months."

Kurt took the ring, his hands shaking, "you are NOT proposing to me, and I am NOT accepting." He smiled nervously back at the boy he loved more than anyone. "I am merely going to keep this ring and wear it every day for the rest of my life."

Blaine stopped breathing. He wondered if he was smiling or not, since he suddenly seemed to have lost all feeling in his face.

Kurt continued, "And when, after graduation, you ask me an important question, I will of course, be saying yes."

With that, the two boys put the rings on each other's fingers. 

_...Silver sparks began to spill from their interlaced fingers..._

**(and now we are back to where we came in)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine clung tightly to each other as the world tilted and spun around them. When the cacophony subsided, they looked at each other in shock, and not a little fear.<p>

"I think," gasped Kurt after a long pause, "I think your great grandmother may have been a little more than an eccentric old woman.'

"What makes you say that Kurt? "Blaine asked shakily, brushing away what looked like a cloud of multicoloured metallic butterflies that danced in the air around their heads.

"Them," Kurt gestured at the butterflies," ...this," Kurt held up his hands to indicate the carpet of wildflowers that now GREW from the polished floorboards of Blaine's bedroom, "...and that." He pointed behind Blaine, toward the window.

A large, brilliant rainbow arced perfectly across the sky and neatly fitted itself precisely through the now broken window of the room. The two boys blinked as they watched the dazzling colours sparkle and glint off the large metal pot, filled with what looked alarmingly like REAL gold coins, that now lay on top of Blaine's desk as it sat in its usual position, directly beneath the window.

'Oh, "said Blaine, "yes, eccentric doesn't begin to cover it really, does it?" 

* * *

><p><strong>AN (yes, AGAIN!): the next chapters are already peeking into my forebrain, I suspect there will be a bit more "magic" stuff. I have a feeling things for the boys might be a bit interesting (esp if Blaine's parents notice the impromptu redecoration)**  
><strong>Reviews are welcomed (as are jokes, one can never have enough humour in one's life you know!)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: How to make friends and

"Eight-hundred and seventy-six! You were right Blaine," Kurt smiled wryly as he slid the small stack of gold coins across the top of the desk to add it to the previously counted stacks. "And if they aren't all almost pure gold then I have never been to Tiffany's!"

"And we both know you had breakfast there recently!" Blaine smiled at his young friend.

"Rounding out our inventory," Kurt grinned back, "We have one large cauldron-"

"Pot!" Blaine interrupted, "you always find a Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow, never a cauldron."

"-POT ..." Kurt raised one brow in mock irritation, "made, I suspect, of bronze and bearing a strange hallmark on its bottom. "

"I've never heard of a company called SFGM," Blaine sighed as he looked at the smashed remains of his laptop, "and it's going to be a bit hard to look them up online now."

"It's only the screen Blaine, "Kurt frowned at the lid of the laptop as it lay next to, but not attached to, its keyboard. "I'm sure someone at the computer store will be able to transfer your files from the memory into a new one for you. I wish I had the ability to fix everything the way I can fix cars, but I don't."

"I suspect I'll have to do some pretty sweet talking to the guy at the store to get them to do that without charging me the earth, " Blaine teased, "are you sure you want me to risk my purity by flirting with strange geeky men?"

Kurt threw the closest projectile he could find at his boyfriend's curly head.

"OW!" Blaine giggled, "watch it, those coins are heavy you know, they smart!"

"Blaine my darling," Kurt held his hands out to Blaine, who leant into the embrace and allowed Kurt to kiss the top of his head 'better'. "You know you can charm anyone into doing anything you want, you rogue, a few minutes of you smiling and doing the puppy-dog eyes and any geek worth their salt will be begging you to allow them to do the right thing."

"Oh I wish that were true Kurt! I'd love to be able to fix all the jerks in the world by just sitting them down and giving them a stern talking to."

"One day we'll live in a world where the jerks won't be jerks anymore," Kurt sighed into Blaine's hair, Blaine looked up to meet his gaze, "and I believe that you will be the one who will make that change happen in the world."

Blaine sighed as he stared into the hope filled eyes of his boyfriend. He knew Kurt was still trying to keep from freaking out about what had happened earlier, when they put on the ...

"Hey, did you notice gemstones on the rings before we put them on?"

Kurt looked at his hand. "Oh my Gaga!" he muttered," When did that happen?"

Where the ring had been a simple plain silver band before Blaine had slid it on his finger, it now bore a beautiful green/blue sapphire, flanked on either side by a brilliant diamond. Blaine held up his hand, the late afternoon sun glinted off the deep green emerald, also flanked by diamonds.

"It's weird, but for some reason I can no longer find it in me to be amazed or even surprised by anything today." Kurt interlaced his fingers with Blaine's as he spoke.

"At least the butterflies went away, "Blaine replied, "and we managed to pull up all the flowers from my floor without them leaving marks or holes"

Kurt glanced down at the floor, "It's as if they were never there."

He allowed his gaze to wander over the eleven vases currently grouped against the far wall, each filled with wildflowers.

"My mom is going to be so confused about those, "Blaine sighed, "but she'll probably assume they are my attempt to avoid being grounded for breaking my window – so at least she'll just be mad at me, not weirded out."

Kurt moved toward the dustpan and brush he had brought upstairs earlier, "Speaking of that, we need to get this broken glass into the trash and find something to cover the window before you freeze to death."

Blaine stared at him.

"Kurt," he said, "It's summer, it's going to go down to maybe 85 degrees tonight if we're lucky."

Kurt continued to sweep and clean, ignoring the dark-eyed boy's words.

"K...u...r...t...i...e...," Blaine whispered, "please stop, we need to talk."

Kurt stopped his domestic ministrations and looked with pale, wide eyes at Blaine.

"No we don't," he said, "we could just pretend we had a really vivid dream, brought on by too much sun and ice-cream and ...and ..." His voice trailed away as he saw the piles of gold, the flowers, the broken window and the gems on Blaine's ring.

Two hours later the boys were in the food court of the Westerville Mall, watching the mix of shoppers slowly change from 'mostly daytime visitors' to 'teens going to a summer movie'. They had driven there after a hurried cleanup and separated on arrival. Blaine was standing in front of a drink machine, frowning at it as if it had just said something particularly mean and petty. His new laptop sat in the trolley beside him, together with the new large screen monitor that he could choose to plug it into while at home, the brand new high definition speakers, the assortment of new release video games and the eight brand new four-gigabyte memory sticks the sales assistants had insisted on giving him.

Kurt walked up to him from the other side of the mall, where he had been visiting the hardware store. His bag bulged with plastic wrap, duct tape and some pieces of wood he planned to brace the broken window with until the glazier could come round the next day.

"What?" he said looking at the pile of loot sitting in Blaine's shopping cart, "just how much did you spend Mr Anderson?"

Blaine frowned harder at the machine. He gave it a sharp tap on the side, then frowned some more. Then he kicked it.

"I didn't spend anything more than the cost of a new laptop," he explained, kicking his new found enemy again, "the sales assistant, and her manager not only were willing to rescue my old files from the remains of my old computer, but they insisted on throwing in some 'gifts' to make up for my 'emotional distress' and for their product 'failing to withstand ordinary, everyday wear and tear'."

"What did you TELL them," Kurt asked, puzzled and slightly amused as Blaine made 'air quotes' around the sales assistants reported words and then kicked the machine again.

"Blaine, what has that poor innocent machine done to you – did it try to hit on you?"

"No, "Blaine kicked the machine forlornly, and then tapped its side again, "it swallowed my last dollar and then the apple juice got stuck."

Kurt tutted sympathetically.

"So the sales assistant was a girl huh, "he smirked at Blaine, "you and women, I don't know. If you were straight you'd be worse than Puck and Santana combined the number of times they fall for your fifties, movie-star charm. They think they have a chance at your computer hardware, and so they shower you with free software."

Blaine looked up blushing from where he had been staring, wide eyed, at his trapped apple juice.

"The manager did it too, and HE is over sixty, " he explained, "and before you make any disgusting insinuations, he's known my dad for years, has nine kids, is a lay-preacher at the local Baptist church and recently celebrated his ruby wedding anniversary!"

He hit the side of the machine violently and glared at his juice.

"Honey, the machine isn't being mean on purpose, "Kurt drew him down onto the nearby bench.

"Well you make it give me my juice!" Blaine pouted.

Kurt's eyes fell on Blaine's quivering lower lip and for a moment he felt ...light headed, as if most of his blooded were suddenly flowing somewhere other than his brain.

"I am NOT going to kick an innocent drink machine in a public mall!" He uttered with cold simplicity. "In the first place- it's just mean and tacky, in the second place – it never works and third ...,"he paused dramatically, "these shoes are limited edition converse and are NOT to be scratched or scuffed."

"Well why don't you just ask your 'special friend' nicely if he'll give me my apple juice?" Blaine huffed (making air quotes again).

Kurt turned to the machine with a goofy grin.

"Excuse me dear, "he almost purred to the machine, "could you possibly see your way to delivering my boyfriend his apple juice, he's so very thirsty." Kurt twisted his lips and almost flirted with the machine. His voice dropped into what Blaine referred to as his 'sexy man moan' (lower register).

"And while you're at it, I would be soooo grateful for a nice ice-cold diet coke." He placed his hand delicately on the side of the machine.

"Pretty please?"

The drink dispenser made a clunking noise, twice, and the box of apple juice and a bottle of diet coke fell into the collection area. A few seconds later, Blaine's dollar was spat out into the returned coins slot.

Blaine and Kurt stared at each other, then at the drinks, then at each other again.

"...Kurt, "Blaine murmured shakily, "I think you'd better say thank-you to your new friend."

Several minute later, Blaine and Kurt were still sitting in the mall, although they had, by unspoken agreement, moved out of sight of the drink machine – both feeling more than a little uncomfortable to talk about the incident 'in front of' the party concerned. They sat at a table, sipping their drinks and trying to piece together exactly what was happening.

"...and then her manager just told her to give me ALL the flash-drives so that I would be able to make sure that I never failed to back up my writing projects again." Blaine finally finished explaining his encounter at the computer store.

Kurt stared at the passing crowd, now more cinema goers than shoppers as the sun began to truly set.

"Perhaps they just really, really liked your face," he offered as a suggestion.

"I'm telling you Kurt, it was really strange," Blaine shook his head in confusion, "it wasn't like I had them hypnotised or anything, it just seemed that whatever I said, they were willing to take it at face value, to put the best possible interpretation on it."

"Faerie magic?" Kurt mused.

"Let's find out!" Blaine enthused, opening the box of his new laptop and starting to turn it on.

"Wait a minute," Kurt interrupted, "don't you need to charge the battery up first?"

"...um...," Blaine bit his bottom lip, "the ...um ...manager may or may not have taken the battery from his own brand new laptop and exchanged it for mine after I said I had some urgent net research to do..." His voice trailed off as Kurt frowned slightly.

"Research, NOW." Kurt pointed at the screen.

"Are you sure we're near a hotspot here?" Blaine asked as he read the message on the screen, "I have a network available, and it belongs to the Westerville Library Service, but it's asking for a password. It might be their private intra-library network, not the public one."

Kurt looked at the screen over Blaine's shoulder.

"Try 'administrator'," he offered.

"No luck"

"Librarian"

"Still no"

"Damn," Kurt cursed softly, startling the curly-haired boy with the unusual word from his lips.

"Hmmm, "Blaine narrowed his eyes slightly, then typed something – hiding it from Kurt's view, "no, that didn't work ...unless..." He retyped whatever it was and leant to one side. "Kurt, please push enter for me would you."

Kurt looked confused, but did as he was requested. A few seconds later the screen changed as the password was accepted.

"What did you type Blaine?" Kurt asked in amazement, "no person in the world is that lucky with hacking."

"I typed the sentence 'Kurt Hummel says please may I come in'," he whispered, wide brown eyes meeting Kurt's as identical lines of puzzlement appeared on both faces, "and it let you in."

"See Blaine," Kurt gulped the last of his diet coke down as he sat shakily on the plastic seat, "I told you courtesy always makes your road easier."


	3. Chapter 3: The Offer of the Month Club

**A/N: hmmm, I was SO sure I'd written a note for the previous chapter, but maybe I forgot to save it properly (and all my last minute edits and formatting - typical!)**  
><strong>Well basically, I waxed lyrical about muses and inspiration and how every author "borrows" (a polite way of stealing) from everyone else they read (or know, or see or are related to) and then promised to reveal where I think ONE of the sources for this idea might have come from - but not until what I THINK is the twist upcoming ...um ...comes up?<strong>

**If anything I come up with (or steal cleverly) inspores you, then by all means take it and help it flourish - Lord knows I haven't got a real clue what I'M doing.**  
><em><strong>Usual disclaimers: I don't own Glee, or Kurt, Blaine, Burt, Carole et al; I don't even know where one could RENT one of them. I don't own any faeries either (although I do have some very close friends who may or may not be)<strong>_

* * *

><p>A few days had passed since the incident Kurt refused to call 'the Klainebow' (much to Blaine's amusement, and frequent teasing). Both boys had spent that night on Blaine's new laptop, researching faeries, the Sidhe, myths, magic, legends, Harry Freaking Potter ... anything that might have an explanation for what was happening to them.<p>

Convinced that they would be forcibly separated and Blaine grounded for the breaking of the window, they were less surprised than they might have expected when Blaine's mother not only accepted Blaine's story about a confused crow flying into the glass and shattering it, and the wood of the window being damaged when he and Kurt tried to open it so the recovering bird could fly out again, but she also fussed over them as if they might need counselling to recover from witnessing such a traumatic event.

Blaine and Kurt had talked long into the night about that. Blaine felt so guilty about lying to his mom, and the ease with which he seemed to be able to make her believe frightened him.

Blaine and Kurt had hidden the gold behind some loose skirting boards in Blaine's room, reserving a few each so that they could continue to research and ask around about them (discreetly of course).

Kurt had NOT enjoyed the drive back to his home the next afternoon.

He had left his I-pod on Blaine's desk and, forced to listen to local radio, had slowly been going mad. When in frustration he had almost screamed at the radio in his car to 'please just find me some Gaga or Pink or ANYTHING not Country and Western!' he had almost driven off the road as the stereo system had almost immediately tuned itself from one end of the dial to the other, before finally switching to another bandwidth altogether and picking up a station from NEW YORK CITY!

The station in question could have been playing one of Kurt's personal playlists. He had still been shaking as he had turned into his driveway and parked, gotten out of the car and locked it. He remembered, with a blush, what he had done next. He had unlocked the car, leant in and said 'thank you very much' to the radio, then relocked the car and gone inside.

* * *

><p>Today, three days later, Kurt was starting to become almost unfazed by the strange things that kept happening around him. The only thing that truly startled him was what happened at breakfast that morning.<p>

He decided to make the family a Sunday breakfast, eggs, bacon, toast, grilled tomato (the works) and reached to plug in the toaster as usual.  
>As he reached out, the microwave began to beep frantically, the icemaker in the freezer began to spit ice cubes onto the floor and the smoke detector above his head went off.<p>

He stopped moving and looked around, as he did so – everything returned to normal.

He reached for the toaster again.

The alarm sounded, the microwave beeped even louder, and the ice cubes were shot from the dispenser so forcefully he heard them ricochet off the cupboard and into the open pantry door.

Kurt stopped moving, and the noise ceased once more.

"Ok," he said to the kitchen in general, "I am going to reach for the toaster now, but I'm NOT going to plug it in, is that ok with everyone?"

He blushed to think how this might look.

He was talking to the kitchen appliances. Worse, he was talking to them as if he expected a reply. He picked the toaster up and examined it. In a few seconds he spotted something alarming. Just where the power cord met the metal body of the toaster he saw what looked like loose wires, touching the metal body.

If he had plugged it into the socket, and then touched it ...he shuddered to think.

The shock might not have killed him, but it would have kicked like a mule. Worse, what if his DAD had touched ... tears began to fill his eyes as he thought of what such a shock might have done to his father's weakened heart.

"Thank you," he whispered, to ...well, the kitchen appliances.

A few seconds later his father and Carole both came running into the kitchen, breathless.

"You OK kiddo?" Burt panted, "I heard the smoke alarm, but it stopped and I couldn't smell any smoke but then ..." He leant on the bench to catch his breath, winded not so much by the run from upstairs, but by the panic he had felt at a perceived danger to his family.

"I'm ok Dad, Carole, "Kurt touched his father's arm, "You guys go get a shower or something, I'm making breakfast." He smiled at them fondly. "I have no idea what was going on with the alarm, but I think it's stopped for now."

Burt and Carole smiled back at Kurt as he stood there in his Alexander McQueen dressing gown.

"Kurt, "Carole looked puzzled, "may I ask why you seem to be nursing the toaster as if it were a sick child?"

Kurt looked down at the steel body cradled in his arms that he had unconsciously been rocking back and forth like a colicky baby.

"Um ...it has a frayed cord," he pointed to the dangerous worn spot, and the exposed wires.

"Oh my goodness," Carole exclaimed, "thank God you spotted it, someone might have been hurt."

"We better throw that out Kurt," his Dad was breathing more easily now, "and buy a new one."

"NO!" Kurt's eyes widened, "I can fix it. It's not his fault he got damaged, I'll take care of him."

Carole and Burt blinked slowly at this and turned to go upstairs to change.

"Kurt," his father scratched his head, "you might want to cut down on the sleepovers at Brittany's house son, you're starting to sound a lot like her."

* * *

><p>"... and then Dad decided he needed to pop into the garage while Carole and Finn went to buy Finn some new shoes..."<p>

Kurt was talking to Blaine on his phone as Blaine drove over to join the Hudson-Hummel's for dinner.

"I don't think I could have spent another second listening to Finn moan about 'the blisters he was going to have to put up with' and 'why can't we just resole his old shoes', so I told Dad I felt I needed some bonding time with him and we spent the afternoon just pottering around the garage tinkering like when I was a kid!"

Kurt's face was glowing with joy as he recalled the afternoons spent with his father, doing the simple things they both loved.

"Did anything ...odd happen again Kurt?" Blaine's voice seemed concerned, but not worried.

"Well ..." Kurt drawled, "the second hydraulic jack tried to dance with me, but I told him I was yours and yours alone Blaine!"

"Kurt, I was serious!"

"No Blaine, nothing weird happened at the garage, "Kurt thought for a moment, "Except I don't think I have EVER found work as easy as I did today."

He frowned as he looked down at his hand, noticing a small patch of slightly dry skin from where the degreaser he had used after work had stripped the moisture from his manicured hand.

He reached for one of the many jars on his night stand.

"It was as if I just ...KNEW what the problem with each car was!" He sighed with sensual pleasure as he felt his skin smooth and soften under his ministrations. "It was awesome!"

Blaine grinned as he pulled into Kurt's driveway, partly because he was glad to have arrived, but mostly because he still couldn't get over the paintwork on the concrete surface.

Burt and Carole parked their cars in the garage, while Finn and Kurt had areas marked out with yellow paint on the driveway. (For Finn's benefit, Kurt got VERY mad if Finn parked sloppily, despite the fact that the driveway's size meant that he could still easily park.)

It had been the second day of summer when Blaine had arrived to drop Kurt home from a day spent shopping to discover that Burt and Finn had spent the morning working on a surprise for him and Kurt.

A third parking bay had been mapped out in yellow paint, with neatly spray-painted lettering spelling out BLAINE next to the bays marked KURT and FINN.

Blaine had sat stunned in the entrance to the driveway, as Kurt had clutched his hand reflexively and both boys had burst into tears (but happy tears- Kurt had assured his father and step-brother – so, so, SO happy tears!)

"...BLAINE! Are you still alive or have you accidently driven off a bridge or something?" Kurt's voice was shrill, but not YET panicking.

"Sorry my love," Blaine hastened to speak, "I was just caught up admiring the fine artwork your family did on your driveway."

With a shriek Kurt leaped to his feet, juggled his phone frantically as he almost threw it across the room as he stood, and was out the door and down the stairs before Blaine had even had time to shake his head from the sensation of an almost broken eardrum.

Kurt opened the door and leant against the jamb as Blaine walked up to him.

"Hello sir or madam," Blaine schmoozed, pretending to read from a prepared script, "Might I interest you in our 'Offer of the Month' club?"

"Hmmm, "Kurt pursed his lips in thought, tilting his head flirtatiously, "and what is the offer this month?"

"Me." Blaine grinned.

"What about NEXT month then?" Kurt smiled slyly.

"Me again, always me, forever ME!"

"Well ..."Kurt drawled as he stepped back JUST enough to let Blaine squeeze between the doorway and Kurt's chest, "I suppose if the payment plan isn't too unreasonable..."

The boys laughed into each other's mouths as they gently kissed.

* * *

><p>"So, did you read that stuff I sent to you last night?" Blaine asked as he and Kurt moved to the sofa in the living room. Blaine suddenly stopped and looked around him.<p>

"Carole and Dad are out getting dinner, they should be back in around ten minutes, Finn is at Rachel's and YES, I have been reading the products of your research brilliance!" Kurt smiled at his boyfriend and sat down beside him.

"If Great-Gran really WAS a Sidhe, she came from some pretty way out there legends, "Blaine said. "Some of those people were FREAKY."

"And dangerously powerful," Kurt added, "and prone to both violence and arrogance."

"Well," Blaine took Kurt's hands in his own, "If we ARE likely to become powerful, legendary mythic beings."

Kurt stifled a giggle as Blaine continued.

"We must always remember, "Blaine looked serious, "with great power comes great responsibility."

Kurt stared into Blaine's gorgeous hazel eyes for a few seconds, before he suddenly drew breath.

"You did not just quote Spiderman." He winced. "Please tell me you did not just quote Spiderman."

"The sentiment is both true and poetically expressed." Blaine's eyebrows, Kurt noticed, could speak volumes without ever having to make a sound.

"Oh God, "Kurt sighed as he flopped back onto the sofa cushions, "my boyfriend is a complex and utter dork."

"But you love me."

"Dork"

"But you _luuuuuuuuurve_ me Kurtsie!" Blaine pouted and his eyebrows worked overtime to bring the adorable.

"Still a dork"

"But you _luurve_ me, you want to _kiiiiiss_ me, you want to _luuuurve_ me, you want to _maaaaarry_me" Blaine sang tunelessly as he went completely into puppy/child mode.

The front door opened and Burt and Carole walked into the living room a few seconds later. Both boys were red and giggling as they tried desperately to regain their composure.

"OK, "Carole smiled, "what's going on here then? What have you two boys been talking about?"

"Spiderman!" The boys chorused as one.

* * *

><p>After dinner Kurt and Blaine retired to Kurt's room (yes, with the door open) to discuss their newfound abilities.<p>

Blaine had been carefully experimenting with his seemingly perfect poker face.

He explained to Kurt that it seemed the closer to the truth, or the more believable the story he told someone was the easier it was to make them believe him. He also told Kurt how he discovered the limits to his ability to convince someone to DO something.

"...Azimio and two of McKinley's hockey goons cornered you at the Lima Mall!" Kurt was freaking out just a little.

"They were just roughing me up a little, and when I told them to go away and leave me alone, they just froze for a few seconds, then seemed to shake whatever I had done off."

"Damn, "Kurt sighed, "So there go our hopes of re-educating Ohio's losers, one Neanderthal at a time."

"No, Kurt, wait, it gets better!"

Kurt nodded at Blaine to continue.

"So the two goons had my arms pinned and Azimio was lining up for a headshot, when I just said 'You might want to think about the consequences of hitting me in such a public place'."

"I thought you said they'd dragged you into one of the service areas?" Kurt tilted his head in confusion.

"They had, "Blaine continued his story, "I reminded them that eventually I would be found, that the mall had cameras everywhere, that my family was connected enough to make SURE the police followed through on everything, and that unless they were planning on killing me, hiding the body and then running away to Brazil or somewhere, all they were going to get from beating me up was sore knuckles, bloodstained clothes and a lifetime in the criminal justice system."

"And they let you go? Without touching you at all?"

"I told them that even the slightest hint of damage, even a missing button on my shirt would be enough to make the security people on the cameras suspicious." Blaine smiled at Kurt's look of amazement.

"It was so strange Kurt, "Blaine's eyes shone with emotion, "In the past, on almost every occasion where it has mattered, my first instinct has always been to run, to hide, to blend in."

Kurt touched Blaine's face gently with his hand, tracing the path the un-spilt tears might be taking if Blaine lost his new-found self control.

"I could hear my words coming out Kurt, I could SEE the effect they were having on those idiots and I suddenly felt so ...confident, so powerful! It was great, but it also scared me almost senseless."

Kurt leant forward and touched his forehead to Blaine's.

"Why so scary?" He whispered.

"What if I allow myself to become some sort of puppet master, or a dictator, or a politician?" Blaine was beginning to ramble. "I mean, I was more convincing than any of those preachers from TV have ever been Kurt, I could SEE Azimio's eyes beginning to glaze over and then he started NODDING in time to my speaking. It was ...horrible!"

"And there is your answer Blaine," Kurt kissed him almost stealthily, lips barely touching for more than a fleeting second, a ghost kiss. "So long as you feel so scared and so concerned about abusing your powers, you will never do so."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because young man, I intend to be WITH you to remind you how truly good and compassionate you are and always will be!" Kurt leant in for a more serious kiss.

* * *

><p>"So what were you saying before about 'freaking living appliances' Kurt?" Blaine asked when the boys came up for air.<p>

"I think it might be best if I showed you Blaine, " Kurt replied, "Let's put it this way, I don't think I will ever have to worry about losing the remote control for the television again."

Blaine really DID have the most expressive eyebrows on the planet, Kurt decided as he watched his boyfriend's face.

"Please explain," Blaine finally verbalised.

Kurt sat up straighter and leaned back on the headboard of his bed, gesturing to the movie still playing almost silently on the screen of his laptop computer as it lay neglected at their feet.

"A little louder please, "he spoke in a slightly nervous voice, "and could you go back to the start of the elephant love song medley if you wouldn't mind."

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and seemed about to say something, when he suddenly heard Ewan McGregor's voice saying 'all you need is love' and he gasped.

Kurt smiled ruefully and spoke "pause there please."

The image on the screen froze.

"I wonder if my power over mindless inanimate objects would have worked on Azimio too?" he smiled nervously at Blaine.

"OK," Blaine said after a long pause, "so ... any ideas what we are now, where this has come from and what it all means?"

"Not a clue love, sorry."

"Well ..." Blaine continued, "I think what I can do might be classed as one of the legendary powers of the Sidhe. It was called _The Speech_, sort of a relative of _The Sight_ you know..."

"The ancient Irish sure knew something about clever names for things!" Kurt muttered only slightly sarcastically under his breath.

"...but I have NO idea where what you can do might have come from," Blaine continued as if uninterrupted.

Kurt sighed, "I wish I could develop some of the powers of the Faerie. Not the gross scary ones of course! Some of the Fae sounded really ..."

"Gross?" Blaine offered.

"Yeah, but some of the nicer powers might be handy," Kurt sighed wistfully. "What about you dear?" He gently pecked a kiss.

"Would I wish for the powers of a Seelie Fae?" Blaine asked himself. "No, I don't really think so, if I could wish for something it would be for something like _The Sight_." He sighed almost as wistfully as Kurt had.

"I'd wish for the power to just ... know the right thing, "he finally told Kurt. "To just have the knack for being in the right place at the right time, or finding the right person to help me, or who needs my help." Blaine was beginning to get quite excited by his imagination.

"You have SUCH a mentor complex don't you!" Kurt teased lovingly, "Are you sure you're not Gallifreyan?" He asked breathily as he let his hands wander over his boyfriend's shoulders and chest, then move lower.

Kurt's computer, his bedside lamp, the hall lights and his radio alarm clock all began to flash simultaneously. Without a word Kurt pulled slightly away from Blaine, adjusted their shirts hurriedly and turned to his laptop screen as the movie began to play once more.

A few seconds later Burt stuck his head around the door.

"Boys, I think it might be time for Blaine to head downstairs, Carole has set the couch up for him already." Burt breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't walked in on them 'macking on each other' as Finn so eloquently put it, "Kurt, do you know if we have any spare bulbs in the house? I think I might need to replace the globe in the stairwell, it was flickering."

"It's OK Dad, "Kurt replied as Blaine headed into his bathroom for a quick drink before heading down to the sofa-bed, "I think it might have been a power fluctuation, the lights in here flickered a little too."

"Oh, OK then, "Burt smiled at the boys, "night kiddo, night Blaine – get downstairs SOON, please?"

After Burt had left Blaine and Kurt looked at each other and said goodnight with a chaste but loving kiss (ok, maybe more than ONE) and Blaine headed downstairs.

As he passed beneath the stairwell light he looked up. "Thanks, "he whispered slightly self consciously.

Meanwhile in Kurt's bedroom Kurt was stroking his alarm clock and computer and telling them how clever and helpful they were being, "...and YOU mister," he said pointing at his laptop, "you are getting a memory upgrade for going above and beyond the call of duty!"

Kurt was only SLIGHTLY surprised when the screen of his laptop gradually changed (from bottom to top) from its normal background picture until it was a bright, glowing pink/red.

"Oh please!" Kurt muttered, "There's no need to get all embarrassed about it."


	4. Chapter 4: A Walk in the Park

**A/N: Hi guys! Me again. Just a quick, slightly shortish chapter here. I woke up last night to find myslef typing out the first bit, then had to come home after work and finish off the second bit. I hope you guys like where this is going, because I'm buggered if I can work it out. I wish the plot bunnies who live in my head would TALK to me instead of just commandeering the body to write when I should be sleeping! I think there may be another chapter, maybe even two in the pipeline for the next couple of days, but who knows - I may wake up tomorrow and find I've written 50,000 words in Swahili and need a translator.**

_**Usual Discliamers: I don't own, rent or lease to purchase Glee etc etc...sigh.**_

* * *

><p>Finn Hudson was confused.<p>

Now, admittedly, confusion was almost as normal as state for him as, say, tiredness, nervous excitement or being hungry – but this confusion wasn't related to any of the usual sources of confusion in his life.

Rachel had been surprisingly rational since she had accepted their relationship in the library on the last day of school. He had even run into Quinn a few times while out shopping with his mom and she had seemed genuinely happy to see him, without sending out any of those 'jealous ex-girlfriend vibes' that he used to get.

(From both Rachel and Quinn)

(But not at the same time of course)

No, what was confusing him was something to do with his brother.

Finn had found both good and bad things coming into his life since 'Furt' had been 'born'.

On the one hand Kurt was stubborn, bitchy and very high maintenance, while on the other hand somehow being kind, generous and possibly the most caring person Finn had ever met. It had taken Finn a while to see behind the aloof and sneering mask Kurt presented to the world, but even someone as dumb as he (he could almost hear Kurt's voice in his head telling him not to put himself down so much), even he could recognise that Kurt was ALWAYS aware of who might need a kind word or a gentle push and was ALWAYS willing to be the guy who was there for someone who needed ...um ...someone.

Finn frowned. His interior monologue interrupted by a momentary wish that he had the smarts to put into words his complex feelings about his step-brother.

But those feelings were not to blame for the confusion Finn sensed when he thought about Kurt. To be honest, there wasn't even any evidence or reason to think Kurt was the cause of whatever it was that Finn thought might be...

Finn Hudson stopped in confusion (again), and glared around the living room as he walked through his empty house on his way to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen he got himself a soda from the fridge, a packet of corn chips, some salsa from the fridge, a packet of potato chips, some pretzels, some cream cheese dip from the fridge, a box of crackers, an apple (Kurt had been ragging him to eat more healthier) and then he moved towards the fridge (again) to get another soda.

The ice dispenser shot him!

Seriously, an ice cube came out of it at, like 200 miles an hour and got him a big, cold wet one right in the solar plexus. After a few more cubes came winging his way he decided against braving the fridge again.

He grabbed a glass from the cupboard, a couple of warm sodas from the pantry and scooped up the ice cubes from the floor, placing them in his glass.

"Thanks!" he said as he gathered his afternoon 'snack' and headed back upstairs to see if Puck was back online to continue their Call Of Duty marathon.

This time he didn't even slow down as he passed through the living room, although he was even more confused now as he wondered WHY he had just thanked a fridge. (And wondered if he should tell Burt that the ice cube thingy was broken again)

A few moments after the hulking teen had disappeared up the stairs, Kurt and Blaine broke from the embrace they had been in on the sofa in the living room. They looked at each other in confusion (and a little amazement) and finally Blaine spoke.

"Was ...um ...was that you or me that just did that?"

"I didn't tell the fridge to do anything Blaine, I think it was just getting fed up with Frankenteen opening and re-opening its door on a hot day like today and ..."

"No," Blaine interrupted, "I mean, was that you or me that just turned us completely invisible to him as he came into the room the first time?"

"Oh, "Kurt bit his bottom lip in a nervous manner, "um ...I think that might have been me. I certainly feel like I just ran a couple of city blocks, and we may have been kissing, but I don't think we were being THAT energetic at the point he barged in."

"Were we invisible?"

Kurt thought carefully. "I don't think so. I felt like we just ...weren't easy to notice just at that particular point in time. I remember just thinking as I heard him on the stairs 'oh please just let him not see us, I don't want to move' and then I just KNEW that if we moved or made a sound that he WOULD see us, but if we stayed completely still we'd be ok."

"Wow."

"That's it Blaine? That is your well considered opinion on this sudden development in the 'weird' that is now our lives? WOW?"

"Um ... I wish 'Hide and Go Seek' was a viable career path, because we could totally make millions now."

Blaine adopted adorable puppy face number two and Kurt couldn't help but giggle.

"Seriously though, "Kurt said, "I just get the feeling that if he had been LOOKING for us, whatever I was doing wouldn't have stopped him seeing us. Remember the limits we've discovered about your _Speech_."

"Oh my God!"Blaine exclaimed, "I just realised what this must be, _Glamour_!"

"I mastered the art of being both glamorous and chic YEARS ago Blaine."

"No, "Blaine smiled lovingly at his boyfriend, "I mean _Glamour_, it was another of the traditional powers of the Fae. From what I've read it was the ability to alter the perceptions of weak minded mortals, to make them see things that weren't there..."

"...or not see things that are?" Kurt smirked ruefully. "Well, Finn would certainly qualify as a weak will."

"Be nice to your brother Kurt."

"I love him Blaine, but you have to admit, there are crayons in the caddy of life that are sharper."

Blaine shook his head at Kurt's gentle barbs as he kissed him lightly on the nose, "Cat!"

"Wanna make me purr?"

* * *

><p>A few hours later Blaine and Kurt were in one of the quieter local parks experimenting with Kurt's new found abilities. They soon found that although they didn't have to be perfectly still to maintain what Blaine was calling the 'no-one here but us chickens' effect, anything more than a slow walk tended to jar Kurt's concentration enough that people would blink in surprise as two boys were suddenly noticed.<p>

They also established that Kurt could cause a momentary distraction in the minds of at least twenty-three people at one time (Blaine counted them) although the greater the number or the complexity of his illusion, the paler and more exhausted Kurt became. After Kurt began to develop a headache from all the concentrating, the boys had stopped a an ice-cream cart on their way out of the park and Kurt was currently enjoying the sensation of raising his blood sugar levels in the most delicious way possible.

As they walked Kurt's phone suddenly began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket with his free hand, whilst simultaneously licking a dribble of fudge sauce from his other wrist as it dribbled down it from his melting ice cream.

"A little help here Blaine?"

Blaine took his messy wrist and began licking upwards, toward the remains of his cone.

"Phone, Blaine, the phone!" Kurt tried to frown and giggle at the same time, "Pervert!"

"But you love me!" Blaine smiled as he took Kurt's phone and answered it.

"Of course I love you!" said the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Oh,...um ...hello?"Blaine blushed as he spoke, "Kurt Hummel's phone here ... er...who is this please?"

"My name is Brittany," said a sweet but slightly monotone voice on the other end.

"Oh hi Brittany, it's Blaine here!" Blaine smiled again. He was quite fond of Kurt's 'ditzy ex-cheerleader-ex-girlfriend'.

There was silence on the other end of the line, but Blaine could still hear faint breathing.

He spoke again.

"Blaine...um... Warbler, Kurt's friend?" He explained.

"Oh it's OK, "said the quiet voice on the other end, "I know who you are Blaine!"

Blaine felt the beginning of what he sometimes called his 'New Directions Migraine'.

"So, what can I do for you Blaine Warbler?" Brittany sounded like she was still confused. (An even more normal sensation for her than for Finn)

"Brittany, you called me."

"Did I?" Brittany sounded a little lost, 'I thought you said this was Kurt's phone?"

"Hi Bit Bit!" Kurt snatched his phone back with his now clean hands (It was truly amazing how much he managed to cram into that simple messenger bag, moist towlettes are a MUST!)

"Hi Kurt!" Brittany's smile could almost be seen over the speaker, "I was just talking to Blaine Warbler, he has your phone you know."

"What did you call me about Britt?" Kurt knew from long experience that powering on was the only truly effective survival strategy when trying to hold a conversation with Brittany. S. Pierce.

"I didn't call you..."Brittany was obviously vaguer than normal today, maybe it was the pollen count?

"Yes you did sweetie!"Kurt felt Blaine's headache begin to reach towards him too.

"Oh, Lord Tubbington rang, he wants to talk to you and Blaine about something I think."

"Who is Lord Tubbington?"Blaine enquired of Kurt.

Brittany continued as if speaking to herself, "...although I was sure I told him he wasn't allowed to use my phone OR my internet after I caught him downloading those instructions on how to make a..."

"Brittany, how about tomorrow night me and Mercedes and Rachel come over to your house for out sleepover/makeover like we've been planning all week and you can tell me all about it then? Ok precious?"

"Ok Kurt, I'll tell Lord Tubbington, but will Blaine be there too?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind coming over for a manicure and pedicure before heading home."

Blaine nodded in agreement and looked at his nails as they walked, as if imagining what colours he might ask them to be painted.

"Ok Kurt, I suppose it can wait till then..." the phone line continued to be open and active, then a series of discordant beeps came from the earpiece.

"The big RED button Britt." Kurt spoke loudly into his phone.

"Oh, I thought it was ..." Brittany hung up

Blaine grinned at Kurt.

"She is so sweet, but how is it she has made it to high school without major injury or the like?"He asked.

"She leads a charmed life," Kurt explained, "and all of us would do anything for her."

As Blaine opened his mouth to reply, he suddenly started, as if he had heard someone shout in his ear, then took three rapid steps to the left, under the canopy of a large spreading oak tree and held out his arms.

A small boy, perhaps 4 or 5 years of age dropped shrieking from the branches about him and into Blaine's outstretched arms. The child clung to Blaine, shaking with the sudden shock of falling from his hiding place in the tree. A couple of older children, perhaps 10 years old, came running up.

"Wow mister, are you Superman or something? I've never seen anyone move that fast in my life!" said the red-haired girl who was obviously the sister of the child who had fallen into Blaine's arms.

"Just lucky I guess," Blaine blushed as he checked the child for injury and then gave him back to his big sister.

Kurt's brow arched as he stared at Blaine. The children moved off in search of a parent or two.

"What?" Blaine exclaimed. "I must have subconsciously heard him falling and was just lucky I was so close at the time."

Kurt paused, then simply said "You dropped your ice cream when you moved."

He pointed to where the remains of Blaine's summer treat lay abandoned on the grass.

Abandoned on the grass well over twenty feet from where they were now standing.

Blaine looked at Kurt with eyes widening.

"You just travelled almost nine yards in three steps Blaine, "Kurt breathed, "or at least I could only see three steps, you were a bit of a blur you know."

Blaine decided that sitting down might be a good thing to do right about now, besides, he felt a little tired and light headed.

"How did you know that kid needed rescuing?" Kurt asked quietly. 

"Um ..., "Blaine searched for an answer, "...my Spidey Senses were tingling?"


	5. Chapter 5: They always come in Threes

**A/N: Ok, now I'm confused. I hope others are finding this story interesting, I certanly am. The next chapter is fully written IN MY HEAD, but I haven't time tonight to type it out, so tomorrow ok? **  
><strong>If anyone feels a buring need to review, or make comments of offer suggestions feel free - every little bit helps, some of you have sent some lovely personal messages etc and it really does make my day. I've even been favourited by some writers who are MY favourites, which is like...chocolatey overkill goodness!<strong>

_**Usual Disclaimers etc, etc: Me no own nothing, me wish me clever enough to write Glee, Me not even own cat any more (but when I did she was a Burmess named Allegra - aka Alley Cat)**_

* * *

><p>After an afternoon spent investigating Kurt's <em>Glamour<em> (the power, not the fashion sense, although BOTH were fabulous) and Blaine's strange ability to both sense danger and respond to it, the boys decided they needed to take their mind of things and headed out to the cinema to catch a mindless summer release. 

No more major weirdness ensued. 

(Well, maybe a little. Oh alright, it was a pretty strange evening altogether, satisfied?) 

It began when Kurt realised that he had no cash on him, except for the three gold coins he had not hidden with the rest of them behind Blaine's wall. He walked up to the line of auto-tellers just outside the cinema and began to work his card out of the sleeve in his wallet.

"What are you doing Kurt?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow, "I can cover this, my treat!"

"No Mr Anderson, " Kurt was firm, "It's MY turn to pay remember, I just need to get some money out, cash is so much quicker at the candy bar than waiting for cards to go through."

The teller machine spat out a handful of twenties.

Kurt looked at his card, which he had only just managed to remove from his wallet and had yet to insert into the machine.

"Anything wrong?" Blaine came closer as he read the body language of his boyfriend.

"It gave me money, "Kurt murmured.

"Isn't that what it's supposed to do?"

Kurt turned so that Blaine could see the card which he still held in his hand.

Blaine's eyebrows did their fabulous impression of the Pyramids at Giza, "Oh" 

I can't accept this, this isn't right. It's stealing. Oh my God, what if the camera has recorded this, I'm going to go to jail, or the government will kidnap me to dissect me to find out how I did that, or ..."

Before Kurt could launch himself into a major panic, Blaine's arms were around him and he turned him so their foreheads were touching.

"Kurt," he said calmly, "why don't you just talk to it and we can maybe sort it all out, ok?"

Kurt calmed himself.

"Sorry Blaine, " he blushed as he pulled back slightly and turned to the teller-machine, "I've tried to stay so calm, so un-phased about all this, like you have been, so you wouldn't think you had to look after me too, but I guess I just had to crack a little."

"Kurt, "Blaine's voice was deep and serious as he murmured softly so the passersby couldn't hear them, "I'm not feeling calm and ok either, I've been faking it so that you wouldn't think I needed you to support me."

"We are a couple of tragic head-cases aren't we?" Kurt smiled wryly.

"Well, "Blaine drawled, "it could have been worse, we could have been making each other spiral OUT of control, instead of IN."

Kurt laughed. "Dork"

"That's Spider-Dork to you... GlamourPuss!"

Kurt shook his head and turned to the auto-teller to begin what may turn out to be the strangest conversation he had ever had.

"Um ..."He didn't know how to begin.

"Just talk to it," Blaine suggested, "I've been watching over the past day or so, I think that the more advanced the machine, the more 'intelligent' it seems to be when you ...do whatever it is you are doing."

"Ok, worth a try."

Kurt concentrated on the teller, "Can you understand me? Can you communicate back to me?"

Nothing happened.

"Tell it HOW to communicate Kurt, maybe it's not smart enough to work it out on its own."

"OK, if you can understand me, flash your screen and beep – one beep for yes, two for no, got that?" 

BEEP

The boys blinked in surprise.

"Can you understand Blaine when he talks to you?" Kurt asked.

There was no response.

"I haven't talked to it yet Kurt, maybe it just doesn't know the answer." He moved a little closer to the teller. "Hi there, can you understand me?"

BEE...EEP? (if a beep could sound hesitant, this one certainly did)

"You can only understand me because Kurt is here, right?"

BEEP (that one was more confident)

"You've been thinking about all this for a while haven't you Blaine?" Kurt seemed amused.

"You talk to your new friend Kurt,"Blaine huffed, 'I'll keep a watch for anyone who wants to use the tellers, and please be quick, the movie starts in 15 minutes."

Kurt shook his head as Blaine turned around and took a step to 'keep watch'.

"Ok now, about this money, did you take it from my account?"

BEE...EEP ...BEE...EEE...EEP (Wow thought Kurt, an embarrassed beep!)

"Did you take it from someone else's account then?"

BEEP BEEP!

"So it's just money from nowhere then?"

BEE...EEE...EEEP?

"Tell the truth, will this money be missed?"

...beep 

"Now here's what we need to do, "Kurt offered the machine a consoling pat, "I know you meant well, but I cannot in all conscience accept what is essentially stolen money, even if it is only eighty dollars and even if it is from a huge impersonal banking corporation."

Kurt noticed random dots appearing on the LCD display panel of the auto-teller. In a few moments the dots reassembled and he blinked.

"It's ok, I forgive you, just don't do this again, unless I really really need your help, ok?"

BEEP! :)

Blaine glanced over his shoulder, listening in on the conversation and chuckled softly.

"Now,"Kurt said, "I'm going to insert my card, and you are going to deduct eighty dollars from my account, OK?"

...

"OK?"

... beep

Kurt inserted his card, after a few moments it was returned to him, along with a printed receipt.

Kurt glanced at the receipt, beneath the balance total he spotted writing.

Kurt thought for a moment.

"Can you, "he began, "are you in contact with all the other auto-tellers?"

BEEP

"Could you please pass on what we just spoke about to them, and ask them all to behave properly. I don't ever want to use my abilities in a way that hurts anyone, and I'm sure that the banks would blame someone for this,"

BEEP

"Thank you, you have been most helpful" Kurt patted the machine console again.

"And could you try to erase the camera recording if there is one?" he added.

The receipt printer spat out another account balance

The other three auto tellers set in the wall beside them suddenly beeped once and flashed their displays. 

"Ok, I'll be going now, have a good night" Kurt backed away from the tellers and placed his arm around Blaine's shoulders, "I think I may be going just a little mad. If I keep this up I'm going to be more whacked out that Brittany has ever been." 

* * *

><p>The movie ended and the lights came up. Kurt pulled away from where he had been snuggling with Blaine in the back row. (<em>Glamour<em> it turns out is GREAT for making out in a movie theatre without being noticed)

As they were leaving the theatre and heading for Blaine's car, he suddenly stopped and turned towards the dark alleyway that led behind the neighbouring buildings

"Spider senses?" Kurt asked

"You wait in the car I'll..."

"Finish that sentence and you are a dead man Anderson, "Kurt was already moving towards the darkness, "we are team SuperSidhe and don't you forget it!"

"SuperSidhe?"

"You'd prefer Team SuperFairy?" Kurt raised an elegant brow and Blaine snorted as he swallowed his laughter. 

The two boys headed down the alleyway, Kurt concentrated on projecting an illusion that would make anyone there neither hear nor see them. (All that practice in the cinema was paying off already, it seemed much easier than that afternoon)

Halfway down the alley they heard a muffled yowling coming from a partially rebuilt wall. Beneath the wall a dishevelled and somewhat foul smelling man was weeping quietly, muttering to himself and looking up at the gap in the brickwork that was obviously in the process of being repaired. (well, during daylight hours at least)

"It's ok Meggle, "the man sobbed, "I'll go try to find something to get me up there, I won't leave you to starve. I'll only be gone ten minutes." He moved off down the alley, turning the corner and his shuffling footfalls soon faded.

"I can hear the cat, well, kitten really, it's fallen down into the space between the brick courses and is too scared to jump back out."Blaine seemed to hear instructions in his head, as he looked at the wall of the building next to the broken wall. "If we climb up there we could look in and see if it's ok."

Kurt accepted his friend's miraculous knowledge feeling little surprise, finally it seems he was getting used to the strange goings on. The climb was remarkably simple. Kurt still possessed a surprising amount of both flexibility and strength from his time with the Cheerios, while Blaine seemed to climb the walls like he WAS Spiderman. They found a spot on the ledge where they could look into the partially collapsed wall and see a small ginger kitten looking up at them, mewing pitiably.

"See, it could jump out easily if it knew where it was going, but it's too scared."

"Talk to it Blaine"

"What? I don't speak Cat."

"Where's Brittany when you need her?"Kurt mumbled, "I wish you could Blaine, you could convince it to jump to safety."

"I'm not sure Kurt," Blaine said as he narrowed his eyes, "I think she may have injured her paw, look." He pointed at the kitten who was definitely favouring her back left leg.

"I might be able to jump from here to the top and reach her."Kurt said, eyeing the leap carefully, "Coach Sylvester made me practice hoop jumping for over thirty hours one week."

"Intense."

"Although she only set them on fire for the last day." 

Blaine was never quite sure how much Kurt exaggerated when recounting stories of his Cheerios days.

Kurt braced, picked his landing spot and leapt, landing perfectly. He reached towards the kitten who hissed and shuffled back beyond his reach in fear.

"Can't quite get her, "Kurt hissed as he felt his shirt catch on the bricks, "If I could just fit I'd be able to ..."

"It's times like this I wish you really could be a cat Kurt." Blaine smiled at his friend, "or maybe a monkey? Long arms would be most useful right now."

"Here puss! "Kurt winced as he caught more threads on the bricks, "What was her name Blaine? The homeless guy said it before but I wasn't really paying attention."

"Her name is Meggle the Muggle and his name is Smelly Pete."Blaine replied, looking slightly shocked.

"How do you know that?"Kurt hissed again as the kitten swiped sharp claws at his reaching hand.

"She just told me." 

Kurt froze, balancing precariously on top of a partially collapsed brick wall, in a dark alley in the centre of Lima at close to midnight.

"You..."

"I can understand her all of a sudden, "Blaine shook his head, "I couldn't before but now ..."

"How?"

"I wish I..."His eyebrows shot up in shock as he made the connection. "No, Kurt, YOU wished!"

"What? "Kurt was beginning to feel lost again.

"Just before, you wished that I could talk to animals and suddenly ..."

"Oh My God!"Kurt withdrew his outstretched arm and ran a shaking hand across his brow.

"...and when we put the ring on, you wished you could fix machines and I wished I could convince people with my words and ..."

"I wish I had some light here."Kurt said suddenly, but nothing happened.

"Well, that didn't work."Blaine ran his hand across his brow also.

"Blaine, your ring. "Kurt had spotted something as Blaine's ring had glinted in the shaft of moonlight coming down between the buildings, "What are the gemstones now?"

Blaine looked, where before had been a single emerald and two diamonds, he now saw three brilliant emeralds.

"Mine are all sapphires now."Kurt said from across the gap between them, "three stones, three wishes."

"But I only made two wishes, "Blaine thought, "and so did you."

"No, "Kurt explained, "I wished for power over machines, the powers of the Fae and for you to be able to speak to animals – three wishes, even if one of them was for someone else, it seems to count."

"So what did I wish for?" Blaine asked thoughtfully. "I wished for _The Speech_, for...whatever this Super-Hero thing is and ..." His eyes widened suddenly.

"Kurt,"He said slowly, "I'm afraid I made my third wish only a few minutes ago, remember?"

Kurt gasped as he suddenly realised what Blaine had wished for, then he smiled at his boyfriend.

"Blaine, could you please tell Meggle that I'm here to help her and to just relax when I get to her."

Blaine did so, and then looked at Kurt.

"I hope this works the way I think it will, "said Kurt, "I mean, it IS another of the traditional Fae powers, so it should."

Kurt made himself more secure on top of the wall and suddenly he wasn't there anymore. In his place was perhaps the most beautiful cat Blaine had ever seen. Long and sleek with pale brown fur, pointed ears and darker face and tail, a pure-blood Burmese sat elegantly on the pile of bricks the builders had abandoned for the night. Its glasz coloured eyes flashed in the moonlight as it looked at Blaine - as HE looked at Blaine and made a small mewing sound.

"Yes I can,"Blaine replied,"and you look ...so beautiful."

Cat!Kurt leapt into the cavity where the kitten was trapped, and shortly after leapt back to beside Blaine, the kitten dangling safely in his mouth. A few moments later both boys were back on the ground, Kurt back in human form and the kitten purring as she rubbed her head against both of them. 

Smelly Pete came around the corner just as Kurt had finished transforming back to his normal form, and stopped as he saw the small kitten at their feet, letting out a cry of joy.

The kitten ran towards him and he scooped her up, immediately spotting the injury to her paw. He thanked the boys who had rescued his friend.

"She might need to go to a vet to get that paw checked out,"Kurt told him, "If you like I could give you some money to help."

"I don't beg,"Pete replied, "Not since I gave up the booze after I met Miss Meggle here. She needs me to be responsible for her, so I ain't touched a drop since I found her."

"For her sake? "Blaine held out a fifty dollar note.

"Very kind, "Pete replied," But I'll find a way to pay for it myself boys."

Kurt looked at the gold coin he had taken from his wallet and was about to offer it to Pete when he heard the note of fragile pride in his voice.  
>He closed his hand around the coin, thinking better of pushing it into Pete's hand.<p>

"Well, I wish you all the luck in the world finding a way to get back on your feet."Kurt smiled as he looked at the homeless, but happy man. Blaine noticed that as he spoke, Kurt twitched slightly as if something had startled him.

Pete smiled back and went to lift Meggle into the crook of his arm. As he bent over he spotted a battered silver dollar lying on the ground and picked it up too.

"Lookie here," he beamed, "Lucky already!"

Taking his leave of the boys he headed off to his usual summer-time sleeping spot, leaving Blaine and Kurt looking at each other in the alley. As Pete turned to wave goodbye to them, they saw him look at his feet, then pick up another shiny coin and wave it towards them before he turned the corner and they couldn't see him anymore.

"What happened? "Blaine asked.

"I had one of those gold pieces from the rainbow in my hand as I made that wish, "Kurt replied, "and as I made it, it disappeared from my hand." 

Blaine stared after Smelly Pete and his kitten. 

"I think they are going to find their luck has changed for good, aren't they Kurt? "He murmured.

"Them and Us both I think." Kurt smiled as he kissed his true love and they walked back to the car.


	6. Chapter 6: The Pep Talk

**A/N: Just a quick, short and hopefully pithy episode that will tide people over till I can make sense of 'the chapter yet to come'! I like to think that you are all smart people (but still dumb enough to read my stuff!) so see if you can guess the meaning of the mystery words, go on, just don't poke one with a stick, OK?  
><strong>

_**As usual I don't own stuff , Glee included - I hope this keeps the Jabberwocky at bay!**_

* * *

><p>"No terrible side effects yet? Back pain? Ear twitches? ...Hair-balls?"<p>

Kurt looked over from where he was reading an old issue of Vogue, as he lay on his bed, and glared at his boyfriend.

Blaine was sitting at Kurt's makeup table reading a book on Irish Myths and Legends.

(well, alright, it was a desk, but there WAS a lot of makeup on it)

(and a mirror)

(and special lighting)

"Blaine, "Kurt's tone could have frozen boiling water, "I watched a documentary about North American wildlife the other week."

Blaine raised one eloquent eyebrow.

"One word Anderson, _Mephitis Mephitis_."

"That's two words."

Kurt's brow could be just as eloquent.

"Ok, it's one word, twice, "Blaine conceded, "What does it mean?"

"Google it!"

"Just tell me Kurt, please "Blaine tried his stand-by pout.

"I wasn't talking to you, "Kurt replied, waving his hand towards his laptop as it lay open and running on the desk next to Blaine's arm.

The computer had already logged on to the net and was busily accessing the appropriate webpage.

Blaine saw the picture that popped up, and read the description below it. He turned back to Kurt and smirked.

"But surely that should be my role, ma Cherie, "he adopted an outrageous French accent, "maiy leetle turtill derve, ma petite ..."

"Blaine!"

"All I'm saying is, you made a truly stunning cat Kurt."

Kurt closed the magazine he hadn't really been reading anyway.

"It was an amazing feeling, "he admitted blushing, "and you have NO idea how bright that alley was lit to my eyes."

"Pete turned out to be a nice guy to, "Blaine smiled, "I wonder how he and Meggle are getting on."

"I suspect he'll be well on his way to becoming the next Warren Buffet."Kurt grinned.

"About that, "Blaine seemed more serious now, "we need to talk about what those coins mean, don't we?"

Kurt simply nodded.

"Everything I've been reading, "Kurt began, "seems to suggest that wishes tend to come in threes."

"Same here, "Blaine raised the cover of the book he was reading to Kurt for a second.

"So it would seem unusual to say the least that we have been granted, by your Great-Grandmother, three wishes each attached to rings delivered by a courier company, and another eight hundred and seventy six wishes delivered by destructive rainbow, doesn't it?"

"Your scientific mind is always a wonder to behold in action my dear Holmes." Blaine twirled a non-existent moustache.

Kurt frowned at him. "Who are you meant to be?"

"Watson of course."

"He doesn't have a moustache."

"Nigel Bruce does in the Basil Rathbone movies from the Nineteen Thirties. Who were you doing?"

"The television miniseries Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch."

"With the hot guy from the English 'Office'?"

"Yes"

"Not Robert Downey Junior then?"

"He was good too, but Jude Law is too tall for you to pull off successfully."

Blaine coloured slightly, "We are both tragic dorks aren't we."

"NOW who's getting catty? "Kurt smirked from the safe distance of his bed.

"Kurt, about those coins ..."

"I think we may have stumbled onto what they are meant to be used for last night, "Kurt interjected, "I mean, I just felt a real sense of RIGHT as I made that wish for Pete and Meggle."

"You don't want to use them for ourselves then?"Blaine seemed confident what Kurt's answer would be, but felt he had to ask the question aloud anyway.

"I don't NEED any more wishes Blaine, "Kurt sighed, "I'm still trying to cope with the one's I got!"

Blaine looked at his ring, the emeralds catching and reflecting the sunbeams that came through the gap in Kurt's drapes. They were a puzzle these stones. He hadn't really payed a lot of attention to his own ring, but he had noticed that the sapphires which adorned the ring Kurt wore were no static decoration. They changed colour with the ambient lighting, with Kurt's mood, even with his outfits. In short, they were almost as fascinating and as ever-changing as Kurt's eyes, and in fact, the same colour exactly! His own gems, he suspected, also changed from time to time, he would have to remember to ask Kurt about it.

"Earth to Blaine?"Kurt was suddenly kneeling on the floor beside Blaine's chair, "What were you thinking of?"

"Our rings, "Blaine laced their fingers together and admired the contrast between his golden skin and the pale ivory of Kurt's beautiful hands, "I still can't believe this has all happened."

"Have you noticed that no-one seems to have noticed them at all Blaine?"

"I hadn't thought about it, "Blaine blushed, "But, now you mention it..."

"I think if they had spotted us both wearing matching platinum rings with gems worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars on them we would have heard what our friends and families thought about it! "Kurt kissed Blaine's ring finger as he spoke.

"How do you know ...?"

"Please Blaine, "Kurt arched BOTH eyebrows, "online research, a jeweller's loupe and my own innate sense for style."

"They can't come off you know, "Blaine said, "I was going to wash my car the day after you went home and thought I'd better take it off, but it wouldn't even budge."

Kurt tried to remove his ring, just to see. It turned easily, fitting perfectly as it always did, but it simply would not allow itself to be removed.

"Good thing we plan on being together for the rest of our lives isn't it! "Blaine murmured in Kurt's ear. "It would be hard to get married to someone else considering which finger we put them on."

Kurt blushed. It had been only a few days since Blaine had slid the ring onto his finger as they stood in Blaine's bedroom. He hadn't even realised till now that for some unknown reason both boys had mimicked the traditional marriage ceremony and slipped each other's ring onto the wedding finger.

"And I'm meant to be the expert in romance," Kurt whispered back.

"Great-Gran's note did warn us that we would be together 'far longer than you expect'."

"Blaine, "Kurt moved to sit on the end of the bed to be more comfortable, "did you notice that most of the legends about the Fae described them as..."

"Immortal, I know."

Kurt suddenly seemed so young.

Blaine sat on the bed beside him and drew him into the circle of his strong arms.

"It's alright baby, "he comforted, "if it's a problem we can deal with it later can't we?"  
>"Yeah, "Kurt sighed with a shudder, "a couple of hundred years later perhaps?"<p>

"Do you think we should try to see if anyone else can help? "Blaine asked. "I mean, should we try to show the rings to someone else and see if they can ...um... even see them?"

"Mrs Wilson's daughter can see them, "Kurt muttered into Blaine's chest.

"What? "Blaine was only panicking a little, "What did she say? Is she going to tell anyone? "

"Unlikely, "Kurt reversed the embrace so that he was now comforting Blaine, "she's only just turned five months old Blaine."

Blaine stopped panting and began to calm.

"I was over there this morning to drop off some misdirected mail and she was reaching for the sparkling gems as I waved my hand over her."

"So babies and animals can see them with no problem then, "Blaine nodded as he spoke.

"How do you ...?"

"I was in your backyard before chatting to the bluebirds that nest in that big tree near the fence and they complimented me on it."

"Don't let anyone catch you chatting to the local wildlife please Blaine, I don't want to have to visit you in the loony bin."

"I'm not the one who spent almost half an hour this morning having a chat to his brother's X-box!"

"I had to convince it to stop trying to let me WIN Blaine, "Kurt whined, "honestly, I think it's been hanging out with Finn too long. It just never seemed to understand even the simplest concepts."

Kurt sighed dramatically, "I've had more intelligent conversations with a toaster."

Blaine chuckled.

"No Blaine, SERIOUSLY, I have!"


	7. Chapter 7:It's Raining Cats and Dolphins

**A/N: Ok, this chapter came out of my head in two chunks, and it took me forever to work out that I had written in in reverse order (I blame lack of sleep), so with judicious editing I fixed that (I think)**

**I was a little surprised myself to be honest at what happens in this chapter (well, not a lot HAPPENS persay, but you get my drift)**

**The next couple of chapters are in my head, but they are a bot like movies playing with dodgy sound. I can't quite make out all the dialogue, so hopefully I can get some time soon to just switch my brain off, start typing and see what comes out at the end of it all!**

_**Usual Disclaimers: I claim no ownership of Glee or it's relatives (Joy, hope, Mild Euphoria etc) or any of RIB's wonderfulness**_

* * *

><p>After Blaine insisted on a <em>Pepe Le Pew<em> marathon while the boys ate lunch there were a few hours to kill before Kurt and Blaine were expected to turn up to Brittany's house to meet Rachel and Mercedes. Kurt decided they needed to pop down to the mall to pick up some supplies.

(Q-tips, cuticle softener, emery boards, a few more eye-shadows in colours not already overrepresented, the essentials)

Kurt drove and although the mall was obviously busy, they managed to find a parking spot not too far from the main entrance. Only minutes after entering the mall both boys were toting baskets which Kurt seemed hell-bent on filling in record time.  
>Blaine was always amazed at how Kurt was able to both be ruthlessly efficient while shopping, and yet at the same time still be able to spend an entire day 'bargain hunting' if the opportunity arose.<br>They chatted about various nothings as they walked the aisles: colour palettes that suited their various friends; how to wean Rachel away from her dependency on printed knitwear; whether various members of the Harry Potter cast were 'hot dorks' or 'dorky studs'.

It was just after they split up to find the last few items on Kurt's list (which were, of course at opposite ends of the mall) that it happened.  
>Blaine had been gone about five minutes when Kurt saw the hulking figure of Azimio, trailed by two of his fellow 'Puckheads'. Without pausing for thought Kurt froze and then walked through the automatic doors of the nearest shop. He kept his eyes on the three bullies, and moved further into the store.<br>With his attention fixed on the larger figures he was paying little or no attention to where HE was walking, and so it came as a shock to him when he ran into another person so forcefully that they both rebounded off each other and fell to the floor.  
>Turning to apologise Kurt's breath caught in his throat as he looked into the eyes of Dave Karofsky.<p>

Dave looked at Kurt, and at the purchases which now lay scattered across the floor of the aisle. He saw the colour draining from Kurt's face and suddenly felt the need to speak.

"You OK Humm...I mean, Kurt?" he asked gruffly. "I didn't push you you know, I mean I ..."

"It's OK David, "Kurt sighed breathlessly, "I was just spooked by your friends."

He gave Dave a look which tried to convey reassurance.

"I know you have changed, are trying to change David, and it was entirely MY fault."

Dave was picking up Kurt's things and placing them carefully back into his basket.

"I'm not sure Azimio and I are friends anymore, "he mumbled.

"I'm sorry Dave, "Kurt gave him a gentle touch on the wrist.

"He knows that I am hiding something from him, "Dave sighed, "and he's getting all bent out of shape that I won't spill my guts to him."

Dave looked to where the three boys outside had sat on one of the bench seats and were making crude comments about various girls that walked past them.

"I don't think I have _any_ friends anymore, "he whispered almost to himself.

Kurt's eyes glistened with sadness as he saw the pain in Dave's face.

"I'm sorry Dave, "he said simply, "remember, if you need someone to talk to, Blaine or I will always be willing to be there for you."

Dave smiled slightly, then frowned at himself and looked to the floor.

"I don't know how you can be so forgiving Kurt, "he mumbled again, "I made your life such a..."

"I have forgiven you Dave, "Kurt stopped him continuing his self flagellation, "It's time for you to forgive yourself."

Dave's grin was an almost perfect example of the word 'irony'.

"That's going to take some time, "he huffed, "I just wish ...I don't know..." his voice trailed away as he saw Azimio notice him and begin to move closer.

"Damn, they're coming, Kurt if you duck down maybe they won't – I mean I will lead..."

"Just act as if I'm not here Dave, "Kurt said, thinking on his feet, finally, "it will be ok, just pretend I'm not even here, please!"

Dave shrugged as he turned to the opening doors and greeted his three 'friends'.

The next few minutes were agony for him, as he made small talk with Azimio and the others, all the while painfully conscious of Kurt's presence just behind the display he was leaning against. Finally the three hockey players decided to go get some shakes and left the store. Dave turned to the pale and now shaking boy who had not moved from the spot he had been standing in for the five minutes Dave had been talking to the others.

"How did you do that Kurt?"He asked in puzzlement, "Phillips was looking right AT you and it was like his eyes just got PUSHED across you without registering."

Kurt started to answer, but his knees began to buckle before he could explain. The strain of holding such a strong illusion for so long, under such scrutiny had almost been more than he could take.  
>Without a word Dave Karofsky had taken the refilled basket of cosmetics from Kurt's arm with one hand while his other arm slid around the smaller boy's waist, holding him up.<br>Together they hurriedly made their way out of the store and across to the very same bench that Azimio and his 'goons' had been ogling girls from a few minutes before.

"Kurt? KURT? Do you need to lie down? Do you need me to call someone? "Dave was almost beside himself with worry.

"I'll be ok, "Kurt said shaking slightly, "just a bit of a strain trying to ..." His voice trailed away as he realised what he had just done, and who he had done it in front of.

Dave wasn't the world's fastest thinker, but he was far from the stupid jock persona that was all he let most people see.

"Kurt, "he said forcefully, but gently, "I don't need to know how or even what you just did, so long as you promise me that you are going to be ok..."

Kurt nodded his head gratefully.

"...and I won't be revealing any of your secrets, OK?" He tried to convey his sincerity to the smaller boy with his eyes. "You have been keeping MY secrets for so long, despite everything that should have made you feel free to use them against me. I will NEVER betray you Kurt, you got that?"

Kurt nodded again, and as he looked up to Karofsky's face he spotted Blaine coming towards them.

"Your hobbit just turned the corner didn't he?"Dave grinned slightly.

Kurt raised an eyebrow and looked confused, even as a blush began to rise up his neck.

"You always get this sort of goofy, dreamy look when you see him, "Dave explained, "not that I've been watching or stalking you or anything creepy!" Dave seemed a little embarrassed himself now. "It's just pretty damn obvious, even to a Neanderthal like me."

Blaine hurried over to them, his shoulders rising a little in concern, but his face remaining calm.

"Are you ...?"

"I'm fine Blaine!" Kurt smiled at him, "David was just helping me after I got a little light-headed, that's all."

"What?"

"I was, um, avoiding the gaze of Azimio and a couple of the hockey thugs and it took a bit more out of me than I was prepared for."

Blaine drew a sharp breath as he realised what Kurt had NOT said.

"I'll be going now guys,"Dave stood and nodded at the pair, "and remember Kurt, I saw nothing, I remember nothing, I will say nothing, I've got YOUR back this time, OK?"

"OK, thanks David, "Kurt smiled at him. Blaine decided to trust his boyfriend (and plan on getting a full explanation later) and smiled at the former bully too. Dave nodded at the pair uncomfortably and left.

"What did he see Kurt? "Blaine asked calmly.

"It's more what he saw Azimio and the others NOT seeing, if you get my drift."

"Ah."

"He said it was none of his concern, and that my secrets were as safe with him as his have been with me, so ...I believe him Blaine, I just ...KNOW that in this, he is telling the truth."

"Then I won't worry about it anymore, "Blaine smiled and sighed with relief.

Kurt looked slightly surprised, as if he had been expecting an argument.

"Kurt, "Blaine looked into his eyes, "I love you. I trust you. I've also had ..._feelings_ about stuff too. Sometimes I just...KNOW stuff. I think maybe we're discovering another 'gift' from these rings."

"Let's go to Las Vegas and get into a high-stakes poker tournament Blaine! "Kurt grinned, feeling better already, "no-one could ever bluff us, we could clean up!"

"I think we'd better do that in the OTHER sense of the words Kurt, "Blaine chuckled, we need to be at Brittany's in under an hour remember."

* * *

><p>Rachel, Mercedes and Brittany greeted the two boys at the door as they carried their baskets of supplies up the path to the Pierce residence. Blaine grinned as Brittany pounced on Kurt, squeezing him in a tight embrace and even stealing a quick kiss. He remembered how shocked he had been when he found out about his boyfriend's 'ex' and their 'torrid' five day 'romance', but now he had really come to care for the ditzy blonde, and he knew she regarded Kurt with genuine affection too. (Plus he was in total agreement with her on one other point. Kurt Hummel was the best kisser in the WORLD!)<p>

Rachel drew Blaine into a swift embrace, but refrained (thankfully) from planting any more kisses on him than she had already. Mercedes looked at him and at Kurt seriously, before cracking one of her trademarked HUGE grins and cuddling both of them. Rachel and Mercedes swiftly relieved the boys of their cosmetics hoard and hurried upstairs to Brittany's ENORMOUS en suite bathroom. Brittany stayed behind to lock the front door behind them.

"So your Mom and Dad aren't due back till after midnight you were saying Bit Bit? Kurt asked her as he took the keys from her and showed her how to manage a dead-bolt.

"Dad has a big celebration at his work tonight, they found a new comet or apteryx or something and they have to name it at a big party."Brittany sighed, "I wish they did their astronomy in the daytime, I miss them sometimes and it's really tiring staying up all night waiting for them to come home."

"Britt's Dad lectures in Astronomy and Physics at OSU, "Kurt explained, "and her mom works for NASA."

Even Blaine's eyebrows couldn't help him ask for an explanation to that.

"Are you sure you can't stay over Blaine Warbler?"Brittany asked, "My Mom and Dad would love to meet you, because they love stars, and you are the star of the Warblers."

Blaine smiled at Brittany. "Sorry Brittany, but MY mom and dad fly back in at about five am and I just really want to be home to make them breakfast, I haven't seen Dad for almost two weeks and I've missed him."

Kurt smiled at his boyfriend. Blaine's father had not always been the most supportive parent he could have been for his son, but since Kurt had met him (or more to the point, since Mr Anderson had met Burt Hummel) the man seemed to have really turned the corner in their relationship and both he and Blaine had begun to not only mend their bridges, but to find some real connections with each other.

"Oh well, "said Brittany, "at least you can stay for dinner and some makeovering."

Blaine smiled at her creative English.

"Lord Tubbington will be glad to see you too, but don't let him talk you into buying him more cigarettes, I've told him he's not allowed to smoke in the house, it's bad for him and disgusting..."

"HER CAT"Kurt mouthed silently in answer to Blaine's panicked silent query.

"...I love your new rings by the way. Those green stones look just like the flecks in your eyes Blaine, and Kurt's blue stones change colour just like his eyes do, they are so neat!" Brittany smiled at them as she paused in her large foyer. 'I was going to bring up some drinks for everyone. Kurt, can you remember where my kitchen is?"

"This way Bit Bit, "Kurt sighed as he led her to the left, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you can see the rings should I?"

Brittany smiled vaguely at the two boys (again) as she took the large pitcher of homemade fruit punch from the fridge and stacked some chilled glasses and an ice-bucket onto a large tray.

"Brittany, "Kurt said gently, "Could you please try hard NOT to mention them in front of Mercedes and Rachel, we don't feel like talking about them, OK?"

"Does this mean you and Blaine got married Kurt? "She asked smiling, "and can I be the first one to babysit your dolphin babies when the stork delivers them? Or do storks deliver dolphin babies? Maybe they get delivered by a penguin? Or a seagull? But that would be silly because seagulls are small and they would never be able to lift a baby. What are those big seagulls called Kurt? The ones from that poem we had in English Lit. in junior year?"

"I need more clues Brit that was almost three years ago now."

"Cole Porter wrote it?"

"Samuel Taylor Coleridge?"

"That's him! Did he write showtunes too?"

"It's called an Albatross Brittany."

"Ok, cool ...um ..." Brittany paused and looked at the tray of drinks. "Why do I have five glasses?"

"Rachel and Mercedes are upstairs Brit,"Kurt seemed used to Brittany's phasing in and out of time.

"Oh cool! "Brittany exclaimed, "we should like, totally do some makeovers!"

"So, no talking about our rings. OK Brit?" Kurt reasserted.

"Oh Lord Tubbington already told me not to talk to anyone about them, "she chattered as they left the kitchen, "He said he needed to talk to you first, before you put them on, but I guess you already did that, so I don't think he'll be mad at me for talking to you about them now. I won't talk to anyone else of course, I'm not totally dumb you know."

Blaine and Kurt took a few seconds to catch up with Brittany's babble, then looked sharply at each other.

"Brittany, "Kurt began slowly, "where exactly IS Lord Tubbington right now?"

"Oh, he's in my backyard talking to the unicorns about the noise from their party last night."

Blaine HAD to blink at that one.

"You have unicorns ...?"Blaine trailed away.

"My mom used to tell me we had Fairies at the bottom of out garden, but I guess they must have moved or something, because the unicorns have been there for years, and Lord Tubbington is always gone for DAYS when he goes to visit the fairies, and if they were at the bottom of our garden I don't think it would take him as long to visit them as it usually does, unless he takes extra time to go visiting bars or that floozy cat down the street. Her owners swear she's a purebred Persian but Santana says you can tell she's totally had work done."

"Let's get these drinks upstairs and then we can go find Lord Tubbington, "Kurt suggested.

"Oh he won't be back till after dinner, he said, "Brittany balanced the drinks tray effortlessly in one hand as she deftly ran up the stairs, "so we have time to do your nails before he grills you Blaine."

She smiled as she turned to the two boys following her, "I have green nail polish somewhere, you would look so cool Blaine Warbler."

She paused as if remembering something.

"Hey, did you give Kurt his phone back yet?"


	8. Chapter 8: An Evening with Avon

**A/N: Exposition, puns and a few answers. Hope this works. (Reviews are like rainbows people!)**

_**Disclaimer: I don't create Glee, but I do try to spread happiness, I think more people should try that.**_

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><p>In the end Blaine opted for a simple clear nail varnish, albeit one that contained a light dusting of golden glitter.<br>After it became evident that neither he nor Kurt could be trusted to focus on the job at ...hand (ooo, bad pun! Yay!) if they were allowed to work on each other's nails, it was Mercedes who placed herself in charge of buffing, filing and generally tidying up Blaine's hands.

"You know Blaine, "she said quietly as she concentrated on evening out the end of his right index finger, "for a guy you have excellent nail care."

"Gay, Mercedes, "Blaine deadpanned, "nail pride is part of the test for certification. You can't get your rainbow badge if you don't meet the Gay Scouts standards."

Kurt snorted from the other side of the bed where Rachel was busily finishing his pedicure. Blaine looked at Rachel's face as she bit her lip in concentration, and then followed her gaze to his boyfriend's feet.  
>Nine emerald green toenails sparkled back at him. (well, nine and three quarters actually) Blaine smiled fondly and shook his head slightly.<p>

"What?" Kurt looked into Blaine's face, noted where his gaze was currently directed and looked at his own toes. "I like green."

"I was just thinking that Brittany must have the largest collection of glitter nail polishes ever assembled in one place." Blaine admitted.

"I like shiny things, "Brittany said simply as she danced with her shadow to the soft music coming from ...Rachel's I-pod Blaine thought.  
>"It's probably a hangover from when I spent that week as a magpie during my trip to Australia."<p>

Rachel and Mercedes shook their heads with amusement at Brittany's latest inexplicable offering, while Kurt and Blaine looked each other in the eyes as each raised a brow in gentle agreement.

"The green is actually mine, "Rachel mumbled around the cuticle pusher she currently held between her teeth, "but if you like it you can have it Brittany."

She nodded with satisfaction and leant back, rolling her shoulders to relieve the little bit of muscle tension she had developed in her concentration on Kurt's feet.  
>Brittany danced to behind Rachel and wordlessly began to massage the tight muscles of her back.<p>

"Why do you own glittery green nail polish?"Kurt asked in shock, "Green is SO not your colour! Even your fashion sense isn't bad enough to make that mistake Rachel."  
>Kurt smiled sweetly at her, to make sure she knew his words were meant to tease, not hurt.<p>

"But it suits your colouring Kurt, "she said simply, "so when I saw it on sale I just had to grab a bottle."

Kurt blushed and his smile broadened.  
>Annoying, self-obsessed and bossy though she may be, sometimes Rachel ... He cocked his head to one side and decided to offer her the best compliment he could think of.<p>

"Of course, it will look fabulous on you when you wear it to the opening night party after you take over as Elpheba on Broadway one day."

Rachel's smiled at her friend and her eyes glimmered with tears as she spoke from her heart, without thinking, and offered her own compliment.

"How about I let _you_ wear the green Kurt, "she said, "While I revive _Funny Girl_ at the theatre across the road?"

"Deal, "Kurt entwined his glittery green fingers with Rachel's smoky plum coloured ones.

"Errgh, "Mercedes groaned in mock disgust, "I can feel the cavities forming in my teeth even as we speak."

"Says the future star of _Dreamgirls_, "Blaine blew on his nails to make sure they were dry.

"Kurt, if I haven't said it before, you're allowed to keep this one." Mercedes was blushing as she packed away her equipment.

"Oh I intend to, "Kurt grinned as he looked at his friends, "anyone who can talk my Mercedes into finally realising just how HOT she looks with fire-engine-red nails has talents that should be honoured and respected."

"I loves me some rainbows!"

Everyone froze for a split-second at Brittany's new random thought, before they remembered Kurt's delicate artwork that now adorned her hands and feet.

"When you have a father who not only fixes cars all day but who's secret hobby is making and painting MODEL cars all night, you learn how to wield a pretty mean paintbrush Britts."  
>Kurt flexed his hands which were still a little sore from his careful work earlier. Blaine reached over and began to massage Kurt's hands tenderly.<p>

"But Blaine isn't a secret Kurt, we all know about him, he's right there." Brittany finished her (excellent) massage of Rachel's sore neck and twirled around the room, smiling at the beautiful patterns that adorned each of her fingers. "Although I was wondering if he really is related to Rachel, because Santana calls her a hobby sometimes too."

Kurt and Blaine had rapid eyebrow chat, in which Rachel and Mercedes both became fascinated.

"Triangles make me think of toast, "Brittany was still dancing, "I'm going to go make some."

"I love toast, "Blaine smirked at his boyfriend, "I really, really, LOVE toast."

Kurt really, really wished he had never told Blaine about Burt and 'The Talk' he had given Kurt (even if Blaine had been the one to set it all in motion Kurt thought).  
>Toast would never be the same again.<p>

"Let's go make toast!" Rachel grabbed Mercedes hand and the moved to the door.

"We'll be down in a minute, "Kurt said, smiling at Blaine.

"Oh, sorry Lord Tubbington!"Brittany said as she followed the other girls out, "I hope you remembered to reset the alarm after you came back in."

Brushing against her legs as she exited was a large, almost imposing figure of a cat. Long fur, flashing eyes and a slightly disdainful manner (in short, a typical cat really). Brittany's voice faded as she moved down the hall and the two boys sat straighter as the cat looked at them, unblinking for what felt like an age.

Their hands linked automatically and the cat's eyes followed the movement, widening slightly as he noted the two gem-studded rings adorning the interlaced fingers.

"Oh Felicity, you have really screwed up BIG this time! "He said in a deep, rumbling baritone.

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><p>Kurt and Blaine took a breath at the same moment and their hands tightened in each other's grasp, each squeezing the other to offer reassurance.<p>

"Oh don't panic, "said the cat, "It's not your fault. It might not even turn out to be that much of a bad thing. It's just that SOME of us don't just go around breaking protocols and policies willy-nilly on a whim. SOME of us actually like to follow the correct procedures so that SOME of us don't stay awake all day fretting about the work that SOME of us are going to have to do to tidy someone else's messes."

The cat paused in his mini tirade and yawned, showing a flash of very sharp teeth before attacking his own front, left paw where the fur was slightly less perfect than the rest of him (in his eyes at least).

"...um ..." Blaine gathered his wits first, "...um ..."

(Ok, he didn't gather them very well then)

"Are you a fairy?" Kurt blurted out, before stopping with a deep blush.

The cat paused in his ministrations and glared at the embarrassed teenager.

"What should we call you?"Blaine asked swiftly, "I mean to be respectful and ..."

"My name, "the cat said with far more patience and forbearance than it had previously shown, "Is Lord Tubbington." It jumped onto the end of the bed and sat before the two boys.

"You may call me Lord Tubbington, "it...HE conceded, "I also respond to 'Tubbles', 'TonTon' and 'come get your fish'." The cat levelled a calm gaze at Kurt.

"In answer to your question, no, I am not a Fae, a fairy, a Sidhe or any sort of strange supernatural or metaphysical being. I am a cat. Being a cat is MORE than sufficient to make me superior to any legendary or mystical race." He paused.

"You may scratch my ears now Kurt Hummel."

Kurt complied.

"Now, my Brittany will keep your friends downstairs for a short while, but we will need to talk quickly, if only to get past the basics. "Lord Tubbington began to purr under Kurt's gentle fingers.

"First, let me welcome you to the Society, and let me offer you my unbounded congratulations at what has proven so far to be one of the most impressive first weeks any member can recall for centuries."

"Society?"Blaine questioned?

"Centuries?"Kurt blinked slowly.

Lord Tubbington looked sharply at both boys.

"You were briefed about the Society before you pledged weren't you? I know Felicity has always been a little fast and loose with procedure but even she ..."his voice trailed away as he saw confusion and ignorance in the faces of the two young men sitting before him.

"Oh dear, "he sighed, "ok then, what DID she tell you?"

"She called me, "Blaine said, "and told me to expect a package, then when it arrived it contained a box, and a letter. The letter said..."

"I brought it with me Blaine, "Kurt interrupted, reaching for his messenger bag and retrieving the elegantly written note.

Lord Tubbington read the note, then sighed deeply.

"Oh dear. Well, nothing to be done about it now is there, no use mewing over spilt milk." His pink tongue flashed out as his eyes twinkled at the boys. "MUCH better things to do if you find spilt milk, very tasty milk is you know."

The cat made himself more comfortable on the bed, and proceeded to explain things.

"First, can I just say that you two are amazing. To have been so impressive in your first week would be one thing, but to have done it without even KNOWING ..."he shook his head.

"OK, where to begin..."

"Society, "Blaine suggested, "You said Society, I could hear the capitals. What have we joined? Who are you, what are you? What do you want with us?"

"I told you, "Lord Tubbington spoke gently, "I'm a cat. I am also a member of the most select group of beings in the world, a select group that you are now a part of too."

"Are we becoming Fae?"Kurt asked, "Are we still human?"

"Yes and no, "the cat replied, "or rather, yes and yes, sort of." He moved from his spot before them and climbed into Kurt's lap, his heavy, warm body offering the frightened boy comfort.

"The Fae exist, "he began again, "but for the most part, they no longer interact with our world directly. Good thing if you ask me, some of them have NO sense of decorum, or manners."

Blaine was beginning to feel like he was in the presence of an older, smaller, more feline version of Wes. Any second now he expected Lord Tubbington to find a gavel from somewhere and begin lecturing them in proper minuting procedures.

"Many centuries ago, thousands of years actually, just before the last of the Faerie Court withdrew into their own realms for good, a group of them formed a society. These Fae loved the mortal world, and they wanted a way to keep in touch with it, to help the poor stumbling humans along in their day to day struggles. I think we can all agree that a life without a little magic in it would be a terribly dull thing."

Kurt's hand began unconsciously stroking Lord Tubbington's fur.

"Firstly, Blaine, I have to tell you that Lady Felicity Danaere was NOT your Great Grandmother."

Blaine drew a shocked breath.

"Well, she was, IS, I suppose, but add a few more greats."

"H-how many?"Blaine's dapper composure was crumbling.

"_Danaere_ ... Tuatha de _Danann_ ...,"Kurt whispered to himself, "..._Danu_!"

"Smart boy, "Lord Tubbington nodded gravely, "Blaine, your Grandmother was Danu."

Blaine paled, Danu was a name found in the oldest Irish myths. Not just Irish, but in many European myths as well. The River Danube was reportedly named after her.  
>Some of the books he had read had even pointed to Hindu mythology where Danu was the name of an ancient ...Goddess.<p>

"A couple of thousand years ago or so she decided to forever tie herself to the mortal world, by having mortal children. Over the generations the blood has thinned, only occasionally throwing up a special or unique individual. Most of the legendary heroes of Irish Myth were ancestors of yours Blaine. Of course, humanity being what it is, anyone with any European ancestry, especially Irish, is probably related by blood somewhere down the line. Like you Mr Hummel."

Lord Tubbington raised an eyebrow at him. (well, that's what the effect was anyway)

"We studied that in history, "Kurt said, "for example, go back far enough and almost everyone with family from Northern Europe is related to Charlemagne."

"So, over the years, the Society your ...let's just keep calling her your Great-Gran ok? The Society would choose descendants of Danu to be offered membership. Prospective members would be sounded out carefully as to their suitability, their fitness for the power they were about to be offered and then the procedures would be explained. "

Kurt raised an eyebrow at this.

"Membership always comes in pairs you know young Hummel."

"Why?" It was Blaine who asked that question.

"Because that's where the power comes from to make the magic work!"

"It's not just magic?" Blaine asked.

"I'm not ready to spend the several decades it would take to start explaining the nature of magic to you Mr Anderson." Lord Tubbington stretched out an elegant paw and flexed his claws. "Suffice to say that magic requires a power source to work, and that the best power source is emotion. Some magic works through faith, or religious fervour. Dark magics use pain or fear. Fae magic can and has used all these things, but the Society of Danu uses the most powerful force of all to make its magic go."

Kurt suddenly knew what force the cat was talking about.

"Love, "he said.

"I knew it was no coincidence that your first shape shift was to cat form Kurt!" Lord Tubbington purred loudly. "So a prospective member, having been trained in the basics of Fae magic, but lacking a power source, must search for his or her true love. Someone who not only can give them the love they seek, but is truly worthy of the powers they will gain, and truly willing to continue the mission of the society."

Kurt and Blaine reached for each other's hands again and smiled.

"It's meant to be a long and careful process, "the cat huffed, trying to hide behind a gruff exterior, "not something that happens about fifteen seconds after you open the box and take out the rings."

"Did we mess it up?"Blaine was concerned.

"Oh no! "Lord Tubbington continued, "far from it. The usual occurrence is that the rings are used as part of a wedding ceremony or christening or similar between the parties concerned, then the two new members make the three wishes that will grant them the minor powers that will help them in their work. If the pairing is particularly deep or special, the magic sometimes provides some 'excess' wishes which are usually used to increase the effectiveness of the new couple."

With the flexibility only a cat could show, Lord Tubbington stretched his back before relaxing once more in Kurt's lap.

"The highest number of 'mini-wishes' ever recorded in our annals was in Fifteen Eighty Two, when young William and Anne were married. Forty seven wishes they found, delivered by rainbow apparently, if you believe such things. I may believe in magic, but rainbows delivering coins? It's obviously some archivist's idea of a poetic metaphor, although I suppose considering the subjects involved, poetry was only to be expected."

Kurt made a mental note to Google that date as soon as he could get near a computer, or even just within earshot of one.

"Once the pair have established their abilities and decided on their mission, the Society usually steps back to allow them to carry on as they see fit. Of course we try to provide support when asked for, or advice. Sometimes a member with a particularly appropriate power might be asked to lend a hand, but generally we allow most Godmothers to find their own pumpkins."

Kurt and Blaine were floored by that statement.

"...pumpkins? "Kurt finally ventured, looking down at the large cat.

"An inside joke, "Lord Tubbington explained, "Our mission is to help people in need, to put some magic back into people's lives, and to make wishes and dreams come true, so... the name of the group just sort of stuck over the years."

He sat up and nodded at the two shocked boys.

"Allow me to formally welcome you to the Society of Faerie GodMothers."


	9. A Dream is a wish your heart makes

**A/N: Just a quick chapter to tide things over. More actual "action" to come soon, it's just all jumbled around and needs a damn good edit! **

_**Disclaimer: I have more hair than Ryan Murohy, but would tradie it in an instant to be the creator of Glee etc.**_

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><p>Warm, caramel brown eyes flecked with green stared, unblinking, into cool greygreen eyes.

For several heartbeats the world faded away, and Blaine saw the eyes he was losing himself in widen and then flicker shut, the vertical pupil widening and contracting as if the muscles controlling them were exhausted. 

"I can only get a flash from you too I'm afraid my dear Mr Anderson, "Lord Tubbington's body language was difficult to read. (Well, he WAS a cat after all) 

"So you can't tell Blaine what HIS powers are either? "Kurt rubbed his temples to ease the slight headache he had begun to feel during his staring match with the large cat.

"When you were telling Kurt about his shape shifting I was sure that meant you knew all about our abilities."Blaine said as he reached into his bag and retrieved some headache tablets for himself and Kurt.

"Well we knew that Felicity had sent you a pair of rings Blaine, "Lord Tubbington wished they made Advil for cats at times like these, "and all the magically sensitive in a three hundred mile radius knew when you two put them on. We couldn't NOT feel the side-effects."

"So why were you so shocked when you saw our rings then?"Kurt asked. "And don't try telling me you weren't shocked Lord Tubbington, one of the gifts I've received from my ring seems to be the ability to tell when someone, or something is lying to me."

Lord Tubbington managed to convey both lofty disdain and childlike innocence with one tilt of his head. (lots and lots of practice)

"I only know what some of the more sensitive among our community were able to pick up, "he grumbled, "you put the rings on and all ...um ...all _Faerie_ broke loose. What you wished for and what the ramifications of your wishes might be will require more time and discussion."

"But you congratulated Kurt on his cat shape change, "Blaine felt better already, those pills worked fast. (or maybe it was the gentle neck massage Kurt was giving him as they sat on Brittany's bed talking to her cat.)

"I happen to be acquainted with the young lady in question." Lord Tubbington couldn't be blushing, surely, he was a cat.

"Who? ...oh!"Kurt smiled, "She's a little young isn't she?"

"Who is?"Blaine was puzzled.

"Meggle."

"Oh?...OH!"

"Please! "Lord Tubbington seemed miffed, "I'm an old friend of her mother's I'll have you know. Young Meggle is one of our most promising students."

"Students?"Kurt was curious now.

"Have you never read fairy tales?"Lord Tubbington despaired. "_Puss in Boots_ ring a bell perhaps?"

"You mean there is a school for potential fairy tale characters in Ohio?"Blaine asked with a gasp.

Kurt mumbled under his breath, "Well we already have a Gay Hogwarts, why not?"

"You know that pets are used in many forms of medical and psychological therapy don't you Mr Anderson?"Lord Tubbington managed his 'raising an eyebrow without actually having any' trick.

"I've read about them."

"Well, "the cat explained, "Why is it so hard to imagine that the Society wouldn't use the old 'my pet can talk to me' trick to make people who need a friend FIND a friend?"

"So Pete can actually understand Meggle speak then?"Blaine asked.

"No, "Lord Tubbington sighed, "We don't have the magic to spare I'm afraid. We'd need a mini-wish to manage true communication. She's managing as best she can with purrs and scratching. So far so good."

"A mini-wish?" Kurt asked.

"I told you, "Lord Tubbington stretched, "When a truly deep bond between partners is formalised with the rings, sometimes the love ...spills over, creating slightly less powerful wishes as well as the three primary ones the partners each receive."

"How powerful are the three main wishes meant to be?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"Well, "Lord Tubbington thought carefully, "I wouldn't have said they were powerful enough to actually let the new Godmother shift into an alternate form, unless perhaps you used more than one wish to gain Cat-form Mr Hummel?"

"It was Blaine's wish that did that,"Kurt replied, "and it's not just cat form." 

"...one wish from the OTHER person ...?"

"...what do you mean not just cats...?" 

Lord Tubbington and Blaine spoke simultaneously. 

"Blaine made the wish that gave me that power, "Kurt explained, "And I did a bit of experimenting this morning while you were in the shower Blaine."

Two sets of eyes bore into Kurt's. Before Blaine could speak (he SO obviously wanted to say something) Kurt expanded on his statement.

"In quick succession I managed a chimp, a rabbit, a wolf, a cocker spaniel, a golden eagle, a Shetland pony and a llama."

"A llama?" Blaine and Lord Tubbington echoed each other.

"I like llamas."

"I KNEW you hadn't knocked over that coffee table in the living room with a careless dance move!"

"Llamas are bigger than I had anticipated Blaine. I put a hoof through the television too."

"But it was fine when I came downstai... oh."

"Oh?" Lord Tubbington seemed intrigued.

"My first wish. I wished to be able to fix mechanical things. The wish seems to have expanded to include almost any machine, or electronic device, "Kurt explained blushing, "Plus the more advanced or complex the machine is, and the more I associate with it, the more ALIVE they seem to become."

"It's true, "Blaine agreed, "Some of the appliances in his kitchen have developed definite personalities. I like your fridge, he has a sense of humour. And some of them are starting to STAY 'alive' even when you aren't there Kurt. While you were next door with Mrs Wilson I was wondering aloud what I should cook you for breakfast, and your laptop started accessing websites containing waffle recipes and some articles about the health benefits of fresh fruits."

"They were delicious by the way sweetheart, "Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek, "And I must remember to thank my computer when I get home tomorrow too."

Lord Tubbington was looking decidedly UN-catlike, almost shocked. 

"What was your other wish Mr Hummel? "He asked almost in a whisper.

"I think I wished for some of the powers of the _Fae_, didn't I hon? "Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand.

"You did, "Blaine agreed, "But not the gross or scary ones. We'd been doing research you see."

"And your wish has meant...? "

"Well, I can tell when someone lies, or tells the truth, "Kurt began, "I can make people see things that aren't there, or not see things that are..."

"_The Glamour_ I think it's called, "Blaine added helpfully.

Lord Tubbington nodded almost in a daze.

"And you Mr Anderson? "He seemed almost to not want to hear the answer.

"I think it's called _The Speech_, "Blaine tried to be concise, "Kurt wished for me to be able to talk to animals, and I can now."

Lord Tubbington nodded silently.

"oh, and I wished for the ability to be able to know where I was needed and to be able to help or find help when I got there – which so far seems to be manifesting as a form of _The Sight_, so far as I can figure it, and well, sort of Spiderman powers."

"You're turning into a spider-man?"Lord Tubbington seemed alarmed.

"No! "Blaine reassured him, "I mean I can now run a hundred metre race in about five seconds, I can make a standing jump that will get me from the ground to the roof of Kurt's garage and down again without even a twinge in my formerly sore knee and when I dropped some coins last night while putting my wallet away Kurt, I kind of lifted up your living room sofa to look under it. I've ...been experimenting too Kurt"

"That sofa is heavy, Finn and I can barely push it across the floor working together."

"I lifted it over my head with one hand, "Blaine blushed, "I just seemed to know exactly WHERE to lift it so that it would stay balanced and not break."

"I take it these are a bit more than the usual powers then?" Kurt could see Lord Tubbington was in a state of confusion.

"Either you are two extremely rare and unusually gifted young men, or your love for each other is incredibly strong and pure." Lord Tubbington whispered in shock.

"Both, "Blaine said without thinking, "well, Kurt is the gifted one."

"You are the special one Blaine, your heart is bigger than ..."

"I've Never eaten Cotton Candy, "Lord Tubbington drawled, "but I think I would recognise the taste after watching you two. So much love even I'm getting ill, and I'm a professional!"

The boys looked at the cat in shock, then noticed a slight gleam in his eyes that indicated he was playing with them. 

"I hate to ask, "Lord Tubbington continued, "but did you receive excess wishes? It's just that no one can remember getting more than a one or two for decades."

"Is this what they look like?" Kurt reached into his wallet a extracted the two gold coins he still had, while Blaine took his three out of his jacket pocket.

"We used one to wish Pete and Meggle good luck."Kurt explained.

"Gold coins? So it wasn't poetic licence? You received SIX extra wishes?" Lord Tubbington seemed astonished. "These are the most precious things our Society can possess you know. They are used to help further the mission the new pairing decide upon. The record, as I told you earlier, was William and Anne. They used their wishes to help create works of art that would both enlighten and move countless generations and inspire them to feel at one with humanity."

Blaine was thinking.

"You said, William and Anne, married in Fifteen Eighty-Two, Forty Seven wishes, Forty Seven works of art? "Blaine and Kurt locked gazes and mouthed the word 'Shakespeare' to each other.

"Yes, "said Lord Tubbington, "the plays they wrote are still inspiring magic and emotion even today."

"Would the Society like some of our excess wishes?" Kurt asked quietly, "We got so many, and I'm sure they would be able to put them to good use."

"So many ...?"Lord Tubbington looked at the five gold coins Blaine was currently holding towards him, "how...how many did you get Mr Hummel?"

"Eight Hundred and Seventy Six. "Kurt replied, "And they WERE delivered by rainbow."

"We got a large bronze pot too, "Blaine added cheerfully, "And some wildflowers."

Lord Tubbington fainted.


	10. Teddy, Toast and Talking in Tongues

**A/N: OK, this chapter and the next two seem to have come out as a big muddled mess. So I'm having to use my dramaturgical skills to seperate them (like conjoined twins, only triplets)**

**Apologies if this takes a while, but rather than a big unwieldy mess, I want to have things clear and accessible.**

**Thanks for the reviews and messages (and favouritising and alerts etc) - I'm especially touched that there seems to be a small group of hard core supporters that review and message regularly - from all sorts of countries and all sorts of ages! Just shows that the love of a good story (and of course, a couple of hot sweet gay boys) transcends nationality, gender and generations! **

_**Disclaimer: I make no claim over Glee or it's characters. I do admit that I'd LIKE to own Max Adler (those eyes, that smile, that CHEST!) but I'd be willing to share.**_

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><p>Neither Kurt nor Blaine had ever had ambitions to become veterinarians.<p>

For a few seconds they did nothing but stare at the limp form lying on the ratty old sheet Brittany had spread over her bed to protect it from the makeovers.

(Well, technically Mercedes had put it on the bed, after she managed to catch Brittany and take it off her)

(Literally take it off her. She had been wearing it as a 'princess dress' while she danced around her room singing along to the DVD menu music from Cinderella.)

(Protecting her bed from makeup had been Brittany's idea in the first place though.)

Just as the boys were beginning to enter the stage of panic that comes AFTER the initial shock Lord Tubbington shuddered and opened his eyes. He looked at the two young men with an air of both mild embarrassment and wonder. Finally he spoke.

"Well ...that was unexpected. I haven't done something as shocking as that since ...oh heavens, when was Roosevelt president?"

"The thirties" Kurt answered.

"Which one?" Blaine responded at the same time.

"Theodore, "replied Lord Tubbington.

"Nineteen Oh-One to Nineteen Oh-Nine, "Kurt responded instantly.

"Wow, that was fast, "Blaine was impressed, "I thought I was the history buff?"

"His immediate predecessor was William McKinley. He took over after McKinley was assassinated. Youngest President ever to take office. I go to William McKinley High School Blaine, of course I'm going to know about his successor."

"How old are you Lord Tubbington? "Blaine asked pointedly.

"Old enough to know better than to be shocked at anything anymore, "said the embarrassed cat, attempting to evade the questioning.

"You said you were an ordinary cat! "Kurt seemed hurt that he had lied to them.

"I AM an ordinary cat, "huffed Lord Tubbington, "I never said that was ALL I was though, did I?"

"Kurt, remember some of those books and websites we read, the _Fae_ never lie, but they can be very, very sneaky."Blaine's face showed slight signs of worry now.

"A fact you would do VERY well to remember Mr Anderson, Mr Hummel, should you ever interact with the _genuin__e_ article, "Lord Tubbington seemed to be regaining his composure at last. "Most of them are harmless, or at the worst, cruelly mischievous, but now and then you meet a bad egg, and it's then when you need to keep your wits about you most of all."

"Would they try to drown us in a river or keep us charmed in _Faerie_-land for a hundred years? "Kurt had read a lot of stories.

"Well, they might try, "answered the cat reluctantly, "But thanks to your rings, you are now immune to most of the powers of the ordinary _Fae_."

"Nice evasion there by the way, "Blaine interjected, "now answer my question, please."

"I was littered sometime around the turn of the century."

"Which century?" Blaine was dogged in his interrogation of the cat. (giggle, PUNS!)

"...mumble..."

"Sorry? Didn't catch that Lord Tubbington."

"Eighteen Ninety Seven. "the cat spat, "Satisfied?"

"A you a Godmother too? "Kurt asked gently.

"No, "Lord Tubbington sighed, "I'm just the result of a carelessly worded, but extremely powerful wish."

"If you don't want to talk about it, we understand. "Kurt could sense a deep sadness in the cat's body language.

"Thankyou Mr Hummel, "Lord Tubbington nodded his head to the young man, "I shall no doubt tell you about it one day, but for now let us move on to other things."

"Is Brittany ...? "Kurt began.

"Please, later!"

Kurt and Blaine suppressed their curiosity and moved from the bed.

"Speaking of Britt and the girls, "Blaine said, "We better get downstairs to them before they start wondering what we are doing up here."

"And it's almost eleven Blaine, you have a long drive to get home, are you sure you don't want to stay?" Kurt worried about his boyfriend driving so much.

"I really want to be home for Mom and Dad, "Blaine replied, "Lord Tubbington, did you want these wish coins? Like Kurt said, we have a lot of them to spare."

"They wouldn't do us any good Mr Anderson, "the cat sighed, "Only you and Kurt can use them you know."

"Just what can they do? "Kurt asked.

"Well, apart from the Shakespeare's using them to give their plays that extra oomph, the traditional use has always been as a 'christening gift' type of thing."

"Like in _Sleeping Beauty_? "Blaine asked excitedly, "Wishing the Princess 'grace' or 'beauty', that sort of thing?"

"Precisely my dear boy! I believe that is similar to what you wished for Meggle's friend. 'Luck', I only hope he uses the gift you have granted him wisely."

"How long will it last Lord Tubbington? "Kurt asked, "Before it fades I mean?"

"When was _Hamlet_ or _Othello_ or _The Merchant of Venice_ written? "Countered the cat.

"Oh."Both boys said at the same time.

"Don't fret, "the cat comforted them, "I'm beginning to suspect that it's all going to work out in the end."

The boys put the gold coins back in their wallets, then went downstairs to eat toast and say goodbye. (Blaine wound up being the only one of them to do either actually)

* * *

><p>Blaine's breakfast was only rescued from disaster by his boyfriend's new powers.<p>

He had spoken to his parents after their plane had landed and they were looking forward to a pleasant family breakfast with their son before hitting their bed for a much needed rest. (Blaine was too, but he didn't let THEM know that bit)

The problems began when Blaine plugged the electric waffle iron into the socket, and the power went out in the entire house. After unplugging the iron, resetting the circuit breakers and hunting around for the old camping waffle iron he knew was somewhere in the garage, Blaine discovered that he had left his keys on the kitchen bench and couldn't get back into the house through the garage entrance.

He went round to the back door which he knew was operated by an electronic lock opened by access code rather than a key (much more secure than a spare key in a flower pot his parents had decided) only to discover that the power failure must have reset the codes to the factory defaults, none of which Blaine knew. He contemplated jumping up to his bedroom window, but realised that it too was locked, and he just didn't feel like breaking it again so soon after the last time.

He was going to just resign himself to an embarrassed wait on the front porch until his parents got home with their keys, when he remembered the pot of water he had put on the stove before ducking out to grab the waffle iron. Visions of his parents arriving to the smoking, burnt-out shell of their lovely home prompted a panic attack (well, a small one).

Suddenly Blaine felt (and heard) his phone ringing. It was Kurt.

"BLAINE! "Kurt sounded frantic, "What's wrong, what's happening?"

"Kurt it's five in the morning, how are you still up and how did you know I needed you?"

"Bad dream, REALLY bad dream, I just had to call you." Kurt sounded as if he were both whispering, and moving into the bathroom. (echoes you know)

Blaine explained his predicament, and Kurt offered a solution.

"Hold the phone closer!" Kurt shouted, barely audible even though he was on speaker as Blaine held his mobile up to the control pad of the alarm system.

Blaine couldn't quite make out what Kurt was saying, but it sounded a lot like Japanese, or maybe Mandarin. After a few minutes of fast talking the door lock clicked and Blaine rushed in to the kitchen and rescued the pan, just as it had begun to smoke. He thanked Kurt.

"The power outage reset everything to the factory defaults, "Kurt explained, "The poor system was in a terribly confused state Blaine, almost as upset as you were."

"Is that why you were speaking Japanese to it?"

"Japanese and Korean, "Kurt said.

"When did you learn Korean Kurt? "Blaine asked puzzled, "Come to that, when did you learn Japanese?"

"I haven't, ever. You see Blaine, the electronics had been made in Korea, but the system was programmed in Japan so I had to talk to BOTH parts to get it to see reason."

"But you don't speak either of those languages."

"Apparently I do now Blaine."

"Did you make a wish or something?"

"Sorry? What? ..."Kurt seemed distracted for a moment, "Oh... Lord Tubbington says that it's a general 'Godmother' thing. We will find that if we need to speak or read a language, we will be able to do so now."

"Cool!" Blaine grinned as he refilled his pans and began to prepare his family feast, "That's going to make Spanish Three so much easier than I had anticipated."

Kurt giggled, and then added "He says that my dream is a 'thing' too, apparently if either of us is in 'emotional or physical distress', his words not mine, the other will know about it."

"Why is he in the bathroom with you Kurt?" Blaine suddenly asked.

"I just popped in here so as to not wake the girls, "Kurt replied, "Lord Tubbington was in here already ...um ...catching up on the fun."

"What on earth does that mean Kurt?"

Kurt giggled again.

"Let's just say, I'm not the only cat who took a liking to Rachel's sparkly green nail polish. His claws look divine!"

Blaine blinked as he heard the taxi pulling up outside.

"How on earth did he open the bottle? "He wondered aloud before he and Kurt bade their farewells and Blaine raced to greet his parents at the front door.


	11. A Black Dog Day

**A/N: WhooHee! It's been tough, but I've wrestled the monster and come up with this - the second of the triplets! Hopefully this flows well and has a good cliffhanger ending. The only problem is that the NEXT triplet now looks a bit unbalanced, so - since I have a day off tomorrow, I'm going to try to force myself to extend it a bit (go find me a muse or three) and hopefully get something decent up in the next 24 -36 hours or so. **  
><strong>Thanks for all the kind reviews and messages - they do touch my heart (esp the ones that show people care or notice little things) (I'm a sucker at lacing clues and foreshadowingrecalling into my narrative)**  
><strong>For those who have asked, Dramaturges are to writers what Personal Trainers are to wannabe fit people (think, Betas who get paid to do it) <strong>

_**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim Glee, the characters therin, the city of Lima or more than 43 shopping malls, none of which I charge rent for anyway.**_

* * *

><p><em>I want a gap here, so hopefully this will work.<em>

.

The house was quiet and empty and Blaine Anderson was completely and utterly alone.

He lay on his bed feeling the fogginess that comes from too little sleep slowly clear from his head. He knew he would no doubt feel like collapsing onto a deep slumber tonight, his morning nap had in no way made up for the lack of sleep over the last few day, but even just the few hours he had snatched after cleaning his kitchen and seeing his parents off to take their nap had done wonders to refresh him.

He lay still, head sinking into his pillow and slowly ran his arm across the crisp white sheets of his bed. Even his sheets reminded him of Kurt. Not just because it was Kurt who had converted him to the sensual pleasure of thousand thread count pure Egyptian cotton sheets.

(Only ever pure white, never coloured or patterned – 'Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa on a BLANK canvas Blaine, not a rainbow flag!')

Not because the feel of the crisp linen against his face reminded him of how Kurt's clothes felt when Blaine wrapped his arms around him. They reminded him of Kurt because they simply felt ...right. Since embarking on his relationship with the gorgeous young diva (hmm, should that be divo perhaps Blaine recalled his Italian) Blaine had noticed some definite changes in his own life and behaviour. His room was tidier for a start. Nowhere near as organised or coordinated as Kurt's room of course, but much more 'streamlined' than Blaine's previous chaos.

He thought about his sheets.

Kurt was right. Once you have experienced high thread-count sheeting, there is just no going back.

Blaine wondered for a moment why he felt no concern or resentment at the way he had changed so much of his life in response to Kurt's presence in it. Then he thought of the changes he had seen in Kurt. Kurt was much less defensive these days. He still dressed like a fashion model. Still spent HOURS repairing, preparing, reshaping, tinting, waxing, plucking, moisturising ...but Blaine also recalled days where Kurt had simply woken up, had a two minute shower, slapped on some sunscreen and grabbed his 'slob around' clothes in order to spend the morning helping Blaine perfect his kicking. Blaine suspected that even with his new powers Kurt might still be the better kicker (Single Ladies or no Single Ladies).

Blaine smiled to himself as he thought about their relationship and how it had deepened and changed. At first he had worried about giving up parts of himself, at opening up, but now he knew they weren't compromising their individuality, they were just learning the new choreography for their 'dance of life'. (Blaine thought to himself – 'sappy, Anderson, but apt')

Finally Blaine decided that he was more in need of a shower and clean teeth than he was in need of snuggling alone in an empty bed (however comfortable).

As he exited his room and headed for the bathroom he noticed a note stuck to the outside of his door. His parents explained in the note that they had received a call around noon and had been forced to get up and go to a meeting that couldn't be avoided. His dad had made a quick salad for lunch and the leftovers were in the fridge for Blaine, and he could expect them home around seven o'clock with Chinese takeout. Blaine looked at the clock in the hall. It was only one-thirty now he noted, it must have been the sound of his parents driving out that had woken him from his nap.

After a shower and some dental maintenance, Blaine ate his salad while thinking of Kurt. Kurt loved salad. Kurt would love these yellow cherry tomatoes. Kurt would have put less garlic in the dressing. Kurt... Blaine stopped chewing and just looked at his ring, the new symbol of their love. He thought long and deep about his friend. Finally Blaine closed his eyes and just imagined the sound of Kurt's voice, the sunlight in his hair, the colour of his eyes...

"I love you Kurt Hummel, "he whispered to himself, "more than all the world."

A few seconds later his phone made the noise that indicated a text message.

**From Kurt** - I LOVE YOU TOO 3

Blaine felt the touch of soft lips upon his cheek. He gave a quick mental thank-you to his Great Grandmother. These rings were TOTALLY AWESOME!

Blaine decided to clean up the kitchen (again) and take the trash out. He was just manoeuvring the recycling bin back into its place when he felt the sensation of eyes staring at him. He turned to see a very large, very dirty and very mean looking dog staring at him. Blaine froze for a moment, and then remembered his ring.

"Hello boy, "he offered in a friendly manner, trying to hide his nervousness, "What are you doing here?"

The dog seemed startled by Blaine's communication, it slowly began to wag its tail.

/**HELLO**/_impression of a pat_/**MAN TALK?**/_sense of confusion_/**MAN SAFE?**/_image of people throwing stones at the dog_/**FOOD?**/_image of the dog tearing open the trash bags to eat leftovers_/

Blaine was used to the flood of images, emotions, physical sensations and broken words that made up most of his communications with animals. (Meggle he recalled, had almost been as clear and articulate as a human child in comparison)

He established that the dog was homeless and hungry and in dire need of a bath.

/**SMELL BAD**/_sensation of nose wrapped in cotton wool_/**ITCH**/_sensation of bites burning all over skin_/**FOOD?**/_ache in stomach_/**LOVE ME?**/_loneliness, fear, absence of pack leader_/

Blaine ran across the road to his neighbour, who he knew owned two large dogs, and in short order borrowed some flea shampoo, a spare collar, some dog food (dried and canned), a lead, a dog bed and was given the number of the local vet. (Sometimes using _Speech_ made things so much easier Blaine thought to himself)

Blaine washed and fed the dog. As he was cleaning up (AGAIN) his neighbour came across the road and offered to keep the dog in his well fenced yard until Blaine could find a place for him, assuming his dogs would allow a stranger in their yard of course. Blaine smiled to himself as he went over to 'check out the yard' and soon discovered that not only did being able to speak to animals make situations like this easier, but it turned out _The Speech_worked on animals even BETTER than it did on humans.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Kurt had stayed up till almost three o'clock in the morning chattering and singing with Brittany, Rachel and Mercedes before finally all four had collapsed beneath the covers of Brittany's HUGE king-sized bed and fallen asleep. Two hours later Kurt had leapt as if scalded from the edge of the bed where he had been sleeping, woken by the sense of some sort of dreadful calamity about to happen to Blaine. Grabbing his phone from the table beside the bed he began to call his boyfriend even before he had closed the door of Brittany's bathroom so as to not disturb the girls.

The sight of Lord Tubbington holding his claws extended while admiring the sparkling polish on them had almost distracted him from Blaine's voice as he answered.

After solving his boyfriend's dilemma and snatching a few more hours of sleep Kurt had spent a lazy late breakfast with his girls (Brittany's astronomer parents rarely rose before ten anyway) before he and Mercedes had taken their leave of the other two in search of bargains at the Lima mall.

While he and Mercedes shared a subway sandwich Kurt felt warmth emanating from his ring and then the very special scent that was Blaine had filled his senses and he heard his boyfriend whispering words of love in his ear. Kurt smiled and whipped his phone out to text a message of love to his boyfriend.

"Who are you texting all of a sudden? "Mercedes asked.

"Just telling Blaine I love him too, "Kurt replied without thinking.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "You two are just sickeningly... what a minute, TOO? When did he call you? I never heard no ring tone!"

"He... he told me last night 'Cedes, "Kurt stammered, "I just kissed him then, but now I feel like saying it."

Mercedes seemed placated by his swift lie. As they finished their lunch and walked to the bin to deposit their rubbish she stopped suddenly and grabbed Kurt's arm.  
>.<p>

"Oh my Gosh, "she whispered harshly, "Kurt, over there, is that Karofsky?"

She pointed, subtly, trying not to draw the hunched figure's attention. Kurt looked over and thought that, although the figure looked like David, the body language was just ...wrong.

"It IS him, "Mercedes hissed in Kurt's ear, "looks like someone finally gave him a taste of his own medicine!"

Kurt looked again. Karofsky (it WAS him after all) was sitting on an isolated bench, out of the flow of the passing shoppers. His face was a mass of bruises and cuts. One eye was partially closed by swelling and his bottom lip was raw and split, although no blood was flowing. It looked like he was recovering from a massive beat down, or a fight, probably from yesterday or last night.

Kurt instinctively started to move towards him but was jerked back out of sight by Mercedes grabbing his arm again.

"What the hell do you think you are doing white boy?"she demanded, "I'm all for enjoying seeing Mr Bully get his ass whipped too, but going over there to rub it into his face ain't smart Kurt."

Kurt turned to her in shock.

"Mercedes, "he said with a shaky voice, "I was going to go and see if he needed help."

"What! Why would you do a fool thing like that Kurt?"

"Mercedes, I told you, Dave has apologised to me, REALLY apologised, and I forgave him."

"You might have forgiven him, "Mercedes hissed through gritted teeth, "but I have a lot of anger still in me. He drove you away from us Kurt. He hurt you. He made your life hell, and there is NO way on earth I will ever feel sorry for him."

"Yes you will 'Cedes, "Kurt said softly, "I know you too well. You may burn hot with anger, but you have the warmest, kindest heart I know of, and it looks to me like Dave needs someone to open their heart to him now."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow and glared at the still footballer who she could now see was sitting far more stiffly than a normal person would.

"Mercedes, "Kurt murmured, "Dave and I have talked a few times since I came back. He has some issues I can't talk about, but trust me on this, he is a good person at heart, and he really NEEDS some friends right now. "

Mercedes seemed to be wavering.

"If I can forgive him 'Cedes, surely you can give him a chance? Your heart is the biggest, warmest heart in Lima, maybe even the whole state!"

Mercedes glared at Kurt.

"If you include Indiana, Illinois and Missouri I'll consider it Mr Hummel."

Kurt smiled warmly at his best friend and they walked over to the injured boy.

.

Karofsky looked up sharply as they approached near, as if he might have to either run or fight. When he saw their faces, one filled with concern, the other with a mixture of distrust and pity, his eyes flickered between the two then fell to the floor.

"Hummel ..."he grunted noncommittally.

"Dave? "Kurt asked gently, "are you alright, who did this to you?"

"It's what I deserve, "Karofsky said harshly, "don't worry yourself about it, OK?"

Mercedes bristled at the hostility in Karofsky's voice, but Kurt silenced her with a gesture and then shocked her even more by sitting beside his former bully and touching his arm gently.

Mercedes was even more surprised when Karofsky, rather than pushing Kurt away roughly, seemed to tense and try to draw in on himself, only to stop and gasp and go quite pale.

"What happened Dave?"Kurt asked again.

Karofsky looked at Kurt, and then turned his gaze to Mercedes. Her heart, she thought, was hardened against this thug, this bully, but when she saw the absolute despair and sadness in his eyes she couldn't help herself and suddenly she was sitting on the other side of him, placing a warm arm around his shoulders.

Karofsky hissed with pain, but allowed the touch.

"Spill Karofsky! "Mercedes caught the look from Kurt, "...Dave. What happened?"

"...I ...I can't, "Dave seemed lost, "Kurt ...I ..." He looked at Kurt, then glanced at Mercedes meaningfully.

"Mercedes ..."Kurt began.

Mercedes held up one hand to stop Kurt from continuing, and then she spoke.

"I'm going to go grab that jacket I was eyeing off before Kurt, then call my folks to pick me up. Dave, I'm trusting you with my boy here, you be straight with him ok? Or you'll _wish_ this was the worst beating you'll ever have. You tell him what he needs to know, trust me, it will hurt more if he has to pry it out of you. I don't know why he had decided to open his heart to you of all people, but he has, and that means that Ms Mercedes Jones has to open her heart to you too. Kurt call me. Dave ..."

She looked into his sad, lost eyes again and her voice was much softer and kinder.

"...Dave, if you need someone else to talk to, you call me too, Kurt can give you my number."

She stood abruptly and walked away without looking back.

.

"Talk to me David, please."

"Azimio KNOWS."

"Did he do ...?"

"No! He left. I ran into him again after you left yesterday. Him and Phillips and Ross. They were mouthing off about stuff and then they started talking about your hobbit and how they were going to get him back for some 'Jedi Mind Trick' he pulled the other day..."

Kurt paled a little, but kept his hand on Karofsky's arm. Dave didn't even notice the slight touch.

"...I couldn't take it anymore. I started asking them WHY they felt this need to rag on you and Blaine so much. Why they felt the need to beat up the Glee kids and the other losers at school..."

Karofsky's voice began to rise in volume. Kurt reached out his powers and with strength he didn't know he had, turned the attention of the passersby away from this corner of the mall entirely.

"...I mean, I know I used to do that too, but I can change, why can't they...?"

Kurt found that he suddenly had more than enough concentration to hold the shield over the two of them while still listening to Karofsky's story.

"...Things got pretty heated, and when Phillips started mouthing off about how 'gays don't deserve to live' and 'God wants them all to burn in hell' I lost it and just punched him in the mouth..."

Kurt took Karofsky's bruised hand in his own and held it gently.

"...and then Phillips and Ross just started laying into me, but Azimio just stood there, and I saw the look in his face. Kurt, he KNOWS, and he didn't ...I mean, he never hit me, but he just watched them and I was fighting back and he just stood there and then I was on the ground and they were kicking me and Azimio was gone ..."

Kurt could feel his hand being crushed by the larger boys grip, but he said nothing.

"...and then there were sirens and cops and Phillips and Ross got taken in and so did I and my Dad had to spend most of last night bailing me out and ..."

Karofsky could no longer hold back his tears. Neither could Kurt.

"...and he looked so ...so, disappointed and I couldn't tell ...I just ...and I can't ...I want to ...but I just ...I tried ...I don't know HOW to start that conversation so I just ...and now it's too late and ..."

Kurt was at a loss. He couldn't think of a single thing to say or do to help the broken boy who was even now crushing his hand to pulp. Suddenly, Kurt had a crazy idea.

"Dave, STOP! "he said forcefully, stopping Karofsky's self-destructive spiral with his words.

The bruised and broken football sniffed and accepted the handkerchief Kurt was offering as he spoke.

"Dave, do you trust me?"

Karofsky nodded jerkily, not trusting his voice.

"Did you drive here this morning?"

"No, "Karofsky's voice was raw, "I walked. Needed to get rid of some energy."

"Then come with me, NOW. I'm driving you somewhere. You need to meet someone who can help you."

Karofsky stood painfully and Kurt took his arm.

"Just walk with me David, OK? "Kurt winced as he saw the stiffness with which Dave was moving, "Don't worry, no one will see us, and it's not too far."

As they walked Kurt found that the drain usually associated with his glamour reached a peak, then a plateau. He wouldn't be able to keep this up all day, but for the few minutes it would take to get to the parking lot he was fine.

"Did Aretha- I mean, Mercedes really mean it when she said I could call her?" Karofsky whispered, the disbelief evident in his voice.

"Of course, "Kurt's voice barely showed the strain he was feeling. He gave Karofsky his full force diva stare.

"I'm not friends with anyone unless they are an extraordinary and special person."

Karofsky grunted with laughter, which swiftly became a groan of pain.

"I'm so sorry I ever ..."Karofsky began.

"Shut up Dave, "Kurt said firmly, "Or I will start reconsidering my offer."

"What offer?"

Kurt said nothing as he and Karofsky finally made it to Kurt's car and conversation stopped as they carefully manoeuvred Dave's large and injured frame into the passenger seat. As they drove, Karofsky turned to the smaller boy behind the wheel and tears filled his eyes again.

"Where are we going Hummel?"

"You need help to come out to your father, "Kurt said simply, "Now while New Directions love to wing things, my time with the Warbler's managed to teach me the importance of a good rehearsal."

Karofsky looked at Kurt's face still not comprehending.

As Kurt paused at a red light he turned to look Dave in the eye.

"I'm going to introduce you to someone Dave, and you can practice coming out to them, OK?"

"Um... who?" Karofsky almost swallowed the words as he spoke them.

"It's going to be a bit of a shock Dave, but I think both of you will be able to handle it."

Kurt prayed to the teapot-dwarf that he was right about this.


	12. Dancing Around the Subject

**A/N: Ok, DONE, *collapses on floor* Trying slightly different technique here, hope it works - comments, reviews MORE than welcomed. I hope such twists as there are in here don't freak anyone out too much.**  
><em><strong>Disclaimer - Oh as IF I own anything, PLEASE<strong>._

* * *

><p>Kurt and Karofsky drove towards their undisclosed destination in silence. Dave was in increasing pain, but he didn't want Kurt to know that. The surgeon called by the police while he was being held last night had determined that no bones were actually broken but both he and Dave suspected that he may have cracked one or two of his ribs. Dave's father had tried to talk to his son when they finally got home from the police station, to take him to get x-rays or something. Maybe just to talk. The note of disappointment and worry in his father's voice had almost broken Dave's heart. Maybe he'd cracked his heart too, he thought to himself. Before his father had woken up, Dave had left the house. He hadn't taken his truck, he just needed to get out, to walk, to exhaust himself. Hell, he had no idea what he was looking for.<p>

Dave spent the journey surreptitiously looking at the elegant, pale skinned boy who was driving. He could still recall the taste and sensation of Kurt's lips. He could still remember the hot flood of desperation and fear he had felt just before he had forced the kiss upon Kurt. Again he felt the shame and regret that had burned through him as he had seen the shock and horror that had swept across Kurt's face. Dave felt his eyes burning with tears again, but he held them back. He knew that Kurt had somehow found the capacity to forgive him for the kiss. He had forgiven him for the death threats, the shoving, the slushies and even for the sexual harassment Dave had inflicted on him before he had escaped to Dalton.

Dave couldn't find the same capacity for forgiveness.

He hated himself. He hated his looks, his voice, his clothes. He hated his past deeds. He hated how he always hurt the people who didn't deserve it. He had hurt his father, the man who had tried again and again to reach out to him, to comfort him, to talk to him. Dave knew his father would understand, but at the same time he was so very afraid of hurting him again.

He had hurt Kurt. It had taken him so long to see it, but now he knew how wrong he had been. He thanked God that Santana had involved him in her Machiavellian plot. She had forced him to apologise, to form the Bully-Whips, to change his behaviour. Suddenly the losers and geeks in the halls of McKinley had been glad to see him, not afraid. The only one who was afraid was him. He knew he still had so much anger in him, but was afraid to let it go. The anger was the only thing that stopped the pain and the sadness from bubbling up. He needed the heavy, dark anger to sit on top of his despair. Then he wouldn't notice it. Then he wouldn't see it. Then he wouldn't FEEL...

Kurt pulled up to the kerb and shut off the engine. He turned to Karofsky.

"Ok Dave, we're here, "his voice was calm and gentle. "Trust me ok, just ...trust me. This is going to be alright."

Dave got out of the car and joined Kurt standing on the kerb. He looked up at the building they were parked in front of and his eyes widened.

"You have lost your freaking mind Hummel." Dave's voice finally cracked and gave out.

.

.

* * *

><p>Blaine was sitting in his room listening to the music that played from his I-pod. He had put it onto 'random shuffle' and was realising two things, well, three actually.<p>

One: He had a VERY large and varied selection of music on there; everything from Gregorian chant to jazz to Katy Perry and Pink.

Two: Kurt had really influenced his music range. He'd always liked show tunes but now he had songs by independent bands, strange world music artists, even some Gaga.

Three: Maybe Brittany had some deep insight into the world after all.

He got up and started to dance around the room the way the ditzy blond always seemed to be doing. No choreography, no audience, just moving to music for the sheer joy of it all.

Yes, she was definitely a lot smarter than people thought, Blaine decided.

As he danced to ...wow, when had he put Queen's '_Bicycle Song_' on there? ...Blaine thought about the poor dog he had rescued that afternoon.

He was so lonely, so afraid of people. Someone had really hurt him in the past, and Blaine just couldn't think how to fix things.

He wanted to adopt the dog himself, but he knew that was impossible. Blaine's parents were almost never here for more than a week at a time these days, and Blaine himself would be heading off to his summer gig at Six-Flags in a week or so. (Only a fortnight around the July 4 celebrations, but it would still mean he wouldn't be here to look after the dog.)

He was sure he'd be able to talk the man across the road into looking after the stray, but Blaine knew that the dog really needed a permanent home, and someone to love and be loved by.

Blaine felt a wash of love for Kurt flash through him. No, more than that. He felt Kurt reaching out to him, trying to reach him. He closed his eyes and danced around his room. No longer looking where he was going, he just danced blind and somehow, avoided all the obstacles and furniture as he lost himself deeper in the music and in his love.

Kurt needed him, he needed ...something. He was trying to talk to someone, to more than one person ... Blaine couldn't see who they were, but Kurt wasn't in danger. Kurt just really needed Blaine there ...he needed ..._THE SPEECH_! Kurt needed him there because...

Blaine danced more fiercely and reached out his mind to his boyfriend. He let the music move him as he wrapped invisible arms around Kurt's slender body. He sang along to the music, song after song, as he tried to make his powers reach across so many miles.

Blaine found himself spinning on the spot as the love duet from _Aladdin_ surrounded him with glorious sound. He had never felt so free before. He realised that he had managed more than twenty perfect pirouettes. Whatever this magic was for, he thought he could get used to being a Godmother.

As the next track started Blaine went for it. He'd always been jealous of Jeff and David and the other Warblers who could really dance. He flipped through the air, right over his bed and landed perfectly on the other side. Exhilaration filled his body and he did it again, the other way. He landed on one leg, in perfect Pointe position and spun three times as the song climaxed and his sense of Kurt faded.

The music faded in volume too as the next track proved to be a very quiet and slow Beethoven piano Sonata. Blaine heard a gasp as he looked toward his bedroom door. His OPEN bedroom door.

Standing in the doorway with equally open mouths were his mother and father.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hummel's Tires and Lube<strong>_ – the sign read.

Dave blanched and leant against Kurt's Navigator. Kurt, however, seemed prepared for this and gently took the larger boy's battered hand in his own.

"Just breathe David, ok? "He spoke softly, as one would to a frightened animal. "This is a rehearsal remember. Think about it. If you can do this, then talking to your own dad will seem like child's play."

Dave Karofsky looked at Kurt as if he had suddenly grown an extra head. Maybe TWO extra heads.

"Your Dad wants to kill me Kurt, "he whispered harshly, "I threatened his son. I hurt his son. The man just wants to kill me and bury my body somewhere it will never be found."

"You're probably right, "Kurt said calmly, "So ...think about then. What have you got to lose?"

Karofsky shook his head, regretting it immediately as pain shot through his whole body.

"You can't talk to anyone about this because you're so scared they will hate you because of it, right?" Kurt was slowly leading him towards the entrance to the workshop. "If, as you say, my Dad already hates you, then telling him your secret isn't going to change ... to make things WORSE, is it?"

Dave was barely moving, he seemed so lost and frightened. Kurt wished Blaine was here. He wished his handsome, dapper boyfriend with the chocolate eyes and the golden voice was here. He wished Blaine was here with his gift of _Speech_. Kurt needed that gift now, he needed to be able to talk to his father and to Dave and help him, somehow.

Kurt could hear music, and the sound of the wind. He felt familiar arms wrap around him and he leant back into the warm body of his boyfriend, feeling and not feeling him behind him. He felt a sensation of movement, as he was a speck of dandelion fluff dancing on the summer breeze.

Kurt noticed Dave relaxing, just a little. Not as much as when he had observed Blaine using _The Speech_ on people that day they had experimented in the park, but enough.

He led the now more compliant Karofsky into the Garage.

His Dad noticed them immediately, and threw down the rag he had been cleaning a bonnet with as he hurried across the workshop floor.

Burt's face darkened into a scowl as he recognised the figure Kurt was ...LEADING BY THE HAND?

He saw the scars and bruising on the larger boy's body and immediately turned to Kurt, inspecting every visible inch to see if this menace had hurt his boy.

Kurt was calm. He had a soft expression on his face. Burt had only ever seen that look when Kurt was thinking about Blaine and it confused him utterly in this context. He frowned at the bully who was still holding his son's hand.

"What the HELL do you want? How DARE you go NEAR my son. GET OUT..." Burt began to shout, his face purpling and getting hot.

"DAD, STOP! "Kurt's voice seemed deeper than Burt had ever heard it. It was almost as if several people were speaking at once. "Dad, please, calm down, please listen to me. Let Dave speak, please Dad. I'm perfectly safe, perfectly unhurt. I need you to listen to David. I need you to just stay calm and listen to him, ok Dad? You know I wouldn't ask this if it weren't important. Daddy I need you to help me to help him, ok?"

Burt could think of a thousand reasons why he shouldn't be listening to his son. He should be throwing this thug out on his ear. He should ...he should...he...

"Talk." Burt grunted, then led them to his office and closed the door.

Kurt gestured his dad to sit. Burt waited until Kurt and the maniac he had brought into his Garage were seated before he lowered himself into his chair. He noticed the stiffness in the large boy's body. Someone had really hurt him. Burt felt a flash of compassion before his memories of what this boy had done to his son burnt it away.

"So ...?"

Kurt had released Karofsky's hand, but was still reaching out to touch the boy's arm, as if he might bolt if left alone.

"Dad, Dave needs to talk to someone. He needs to talk about some really important things. "Kurt's voice still sounded so sure, so reasonable. Burt felt himself relaxing into the sound of it in spite of himself.

"I need you to listen to him Dad, just listen. Please promise me you'll listen to him and not interrupt until he's finished."

Burt blinked, and reluctantly nodded his assent.

"This is important Dad, "Kurt's eyes were pleading with him. "Dave needs someone to talk to, an adult, not a friend. He needs someone who is willing to listen to him, and you are the only person I can think of who can help me to help him. Do you understand Dad? Please ..."

Kurt's voice was trailing off, becoming more his usual way of speaking. But his eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and his face reminded Burt so much of his mother's...

'I'll listen, 'Burt said more gently, "Karofsky ...Dave... I'll listen to you for HIS sake, OK?"

Dave nodded, but still avoided eye contact with his victim's father.

"Mr Hummel ... first, I need to apologise to you ..."

"– You need to apologise to Kurt first – "

"DAD! Dave has apologised to me so many times I may throw up over him if he tries to do it again!" Kurt flashed his Diva-glare at both of them. "And Dave, I mean it, no more apologies. Forgiven, OVER, DONE!"

"No Kurt, "Dave seemed scared to disagree, but did it anyway, "I'll try to stop apologising to you if you insist, but I still need to say sorry to your Dad. What I did hurt him too. I found out how he paid for your time at Dalton Kurt ..."

Kurt glared at him harder. Burt glared a little too, but Karofsky refused to back down.

"...Mr Hummel, sir, I've already talked to my Dad about it all. One of the few things I HAVE talked about recently ..."

Burt could see something in Karofsky's battered face that stirred that burnt out spark of compassion again.

"...I have about two thousand dollars saved up from work over the past year, "Dave continued, "And Dad and I want to break into my college fund to pay you back the money you had to spend on Dalton."

Burt was shocked.

"That money should be for your future boy, I don't need ..."

"...please Sir, Mr Hummel, at least talk to my dad about it. I'm the one who messed up your lives. If anyone should pay it should be ME, not you, not Kurt."

"You promised not to interrupt Dad. "Kurt said quietly.

Burt sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"Ok, sorry. Dave, say your piece, consider the apology made ok?"

"And accepted? "Kurt raised one eyebrow.

"Talk more, then I will think about it."

Dave closed his eyes and took a deep breath, which caught as he felt his cracked ribs flare.

"I need to tell you why I was so cruel to Kurt. Not as an excuse, but because I really NEED to tell someone. Kurt already knows, and he has been trying to help me, even when all I did was make his life hell and hurt him more..."

Kurt started to make gagging, retching noises. Burt couldn't help but snigger at the fear on Karofsky's face when he heard them.

"...ok, ok. Everything I did to Kurt Mr Hummel was ...it was ...because ..."

Kurt reached out and placed a gentle hand on the huge boy's shoulder.

"... I was afraid."

Burt snorted but remained otherwise silent.

"... I was so scared, so ... I started picking on him because he was so different, so out there. He wasn't scared, he wasn't hiding himself. He faced the world and he had friends and was so happy and ..."

Burt felt a small inkling of comprehension just out of his reach.

"... and I got worse and worse. Not just slushies but really hurting him, shoving him into lockers and... Anyway, one day I pushed him, and suddenly he came after me, confronted me in the locker room, just shouting in my face. He wasn't scared Mr Hummel, or at least, he wasn't going to let the fear stop him from being who is really is and I was shouting at him and he was in my face and ...and ..."

"Go on, "Burt's voice was almost expressionless.

"...I ...I kissed him."

"WHAT!"

"Dad, you promised!"

Burt bit his cheek and sat back down, waving at Karofsky to continue.

"He pushed me away immediately Mr Hummel and I realised what I had done and ...I ran ..."

Burt was made of stone.

"...and then I was just so scared of him telling someone, of my teammates finding out ... so I tried to scare him into silence. Even after him and the hobbit ...sorry, Blaine, tried to talk to me, to offer help I just wanted it all to go away, I wanted HIM to go away..."

Kurt's hand firmed its grip on Dave's shoulder.

"... and then I threatened to kill him. I didn't mean it, I was just so damned scared and ... I know you want me to stop Kurt, but I can NEVER apologise enough for how much I hurt you."

Kurt rolled his eyes and huffed quietly. Burt stared at the shaking boy who was now crying in front of him.

"Why were you scared son? "He asked gruffly.

"I didn't want people to know ...I ...I ..."

Kurt stood as Dave stood as if he wanted to run out of the room. Burt stood up too.

"...I'm ...I'm gay, "Dave almost spat the words out like they were burning his mouth, "I'm gay Mr Hummel, and I'm too damned cowardly to ...to ..."

He swayed on his feet and tears and sobs wracked his body.

Burt acted on pure instinct, wrapping his arms around the sobbing boy and holding him gently.

"It's OK son, "he murmured, "You'll be ok."

.

.

* * *

><p>Blaine sat at his kitchen table staring at his Fried Rice.<p>

His parents sat opposite, staring at him.

Blaine broke the awkward silence.

"So, your meeting, what was that about?"

His mother sat silently staring at her son. It was his father who finally spoke.

"It was a lawyer contacting us with regard to your Great Grandmother actually Blaine."

Blaine had never known he could sit quite so still before.

"Great-Gran? "He managed to avoid his voice cracking (just), "Is she ok?"

"Apparently she died recently, "his mother finally spoke, "I'm so sorry dear, I know you were fond of her, even though you didn't know her very well."

Blaine frowned in confusion, and then hid it with a look of sadness.

"We, we talked a bit sometimes, on the phone, "he said, "and we wrote to each other a bit. Letters, not emails."

His parents nodded sympathetically, but there was still a look in their eyes as they recalled what they had seen while standing in the doorway of their son's room. There was something else too, but Blaine couldn't sense what it might be.

"So, lawyers huh? "He smiled awkwardly at them, "what did they want with you guys?"

His father took a breath as if to speak, but paused.

"Son ..."he finally began, "How much did you know about your Great Grandmother?"

Blaine realised there was just no good answer to that question.

"Um ... not a lot I suppose, although I've been learning a great deal about her from her last letter and the early, or possibly late, birthday gift she sent."

"Well, you know she had a title, yes?" His father seemed reluctant to say what was on his mind.

"Yeah, I knew that."

"Well ...her title is one that is not exactly hereditary Blaine."

Blaine looked at them in puzzlement.

"What your father means dear is, that while it must pass to someone in her bloodline, the title passes to the family member she designates in her will. It only passes to the eldest child if there is no instruction to the contrary."

Blaine thought about that and then looked at his Dad.

"Dad, does that mean YOU are now ..."

"Lord of Danaere Castle? "His father asked, "Not exactly no."

"Then what ...?"

"Your Great Grandmother has named you Blaine to be her successor." His father seemed both proud and a little shocked.

"ME?"

"Yes Blaine, you have been named her successor, and apparently all the legalities have been completed."

Blaine sat in shock, feeling his world spin around him.

"Are you alright Blaine? "His mother was looking at him as if he were about to faint. Perhaps he was.

"Blaine, "his father asked, "We need to talk about this I know. But I think we need to talk about what we saw you doing when we came home."

"What ...what did you see? "Blaine wasn't sure he wanted to hear their answer.

"Blaine ..."his father seemed intent on whatever he was about to say, "Did your Great Grandmother give you any sort of jewellery for your birthday?"

Blaine gulped quietly and surreptitiously covered his left hand with his right.

"Jewellery? Why would you ask that?"


	13. Lucky for some

**A/N: Well, it's been a bit of a week from Hell - but I've finally managed to get something beaten into shape. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I'm starting to think I might need to raise the classification of this story. Could people with more experience of the rating systems on here give me some guidance? I have a feeling I might be skirting the edge of the K+ classification, some of the themes coming up in future chapters are a bit more "Half-Blood Prince" than "Chamber of Secrets" (to use a Potter metaphor.)**

_**Disclaimer: I own not the Glee. I own not the coffee. No, hang on, I DO own coffee, I shall go drink some now.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.  
>Sometimes Brittany S. Pierce wished she was able to explain to people how she could somehow manage to get lost inside her own house.<p>

She stood before the long vertical windows which allowed light to flood the central stairwell during the day and tried to remember where she had been going before the interplay of light and shadow had distracted her. She felt thirsty, she thought, but she also felt like she needed to pee. So which was it?

The pretty blond stood in the sunbeams that shot through the windows and watched the dust motes dancing in the golden light. What a lovely warm gold. Just like the golden flecks on the nail polish she had helped Mercedes put on Blaine Warbler. Just like the flecks of gold in his lovely warm eyes. She loved looking in his eyes. The only thing she loved better than looking in Blaine's eyes was looking in Kurt's and the only she loved better than that was watching them look into each other's eyes.

Brittany began to dance around and between the sparkling dust motes.

She liked looking into Rachel's eyes too and Mercedes' and Lord Tubbington's and Sam's and Lauren's and Puck's and Santana's and... oooh, she could hear music!

...the dust motes danced with her.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt watched his father's arms soften around the large frame of Dave Karofsky as he let the teenager sob his frustrations and sorrow out. Kurt's own eyes shimmered with tears as he saw years of fear and self-loathing lanced like a particularly nasty boil. He had no illusions. This was only the start of the process and it would take a lot of time and an infinite amount of patience before Dave was able to be happy, let alone out and proud.

But this was a good first step.

Kurt sat down in the old and battered chairs Burt kept set out for waiting customers and looked at his father's face. The red, burning rage was gone leaving in its place a calm and almost serene look of satisfaction. Kurt understood. It felt ...RIGHT to have helped Dave. It felt RIGHT to help his father lose some of his dark emotions too. Kurt could feel the last of his anger and fear (yes, even after forgiving Dave he had still had some in him) leaving his body, like ice melting in the spring and running into brooks and rivers and streams, never to be found again.

He thought about Blaine.

He did that a lot.

He thought about how he had felt, heard... smelled Blaine holding him in his arms and singing even as he felt Blaine's gift of _Speech_ dancing out of Kurt's throat with Kurt's voice.

He needed to call Blaine, now. He needed to hear Blaine's voice. He needed to tell Blaine of the wonderful thing they had done together, of the two souls saved from anger and hate.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine sat staring at his parents as they leant towards him across the remains of the Chinese feast.

His parents were asking, ever so gently and carefully if Great–Grandmother Felicity had sent him gifts of jewellery or the like.

How much did they know, he wondered? How much dared he tell them?

If he asked too many questions, would that make them suspect him? If he wasn't curious enough about their veiled hints and strange allusions would that give him away just as clearly?

Blaine was always lost when problems like this came up. He needed someone with a sneakier mind. Someone who could ask questions without letting anyone even know he was asking a question.

Blaine needed Kurt.

Blaine's phone rang, shattering the increasingly long pause that had followed his father's last attempt to pump his son for information (subtly of course).

Blaine heard the opening chords of the Beatle's classic and stood up.

"Kurt's calling um ... guys, "he held out the screen so his parent's could see his boyfriend's picture flashing on the screen. "I promised him I would help him sort out a problem about ...something. So, I'd better ...um ... go and help him ...now."

Wow, his parent s had bought that stuttering pathetic excuse. _The Speech_ was indeed mighty mojo!

Blaine made it to the relative privacy of his room and closed the door. He had answered the call as he ran up the stairs, hurriedly asking Kurt to hold on until he was somewhere away from parental ears.

Blaine failed to notice his parents' blink of surprise as he ran up the two flights of stairs while talking on the phone without seeming in the slightest pushed for breath.

Sitting on his bed, Blaine listened as Kurt told him about Dave's bravery and Burt's compassion. Blaine filled with pride at the truly awe inspiring depths to Kurt's heart.

"I'm still so worried about Dave though, "Kurt said quietly, listening to Dave and his father talking about Dave's next step in his journey. "He really needs a friend he can talk to, but I just don't think he's going to be comfortable enough with Mercedes, or even me, for a while to really open up."

Blaine sighed and agreed with his boyfriend.

"What he really needs Blaine, "Kurt continued, "Is a source of love that is pure, deep and totally without judgement. Like I needed poor little Pavarotti, do you think we should get him a warbler? "

Blaine thought about that. He had an idea.

"Kurt, "he began carefully, "Could you find out if the Karofsky's have a well fenced yard ...?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

Kurt hung up and turned to where Dave and Burt were quietly standing, just talking to each other now. Burt seemed to be reassuring the hefty teen that he would be there for him should anything bad happen with the talk with his own father. Dave almost smiled as Burt's large, grease-stained hand briefly clasped his shoulder in a gesture of support which, for all its awkward manliness was still almost identical to Kurt's gentler gesture of simple support.

"Dave, "he interjected quietly, "would you be able to do me and Blaine a really huge favour?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

Brittany danced in the stairwell. Her golden hair flowed behind her as she darted from shadow to beam of light and back again. Near the top of the stairs a large cat with green/grey eyes watched her singing softly to herself as, for a moment, she seemed to almost dance ON the sunbeams.

Lord Tubbington blinked furiously and the tears in his eyes subsided.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The next day Kurt and Blaine were having coffee outside the cinema in Lima. In a spirit of wild recklessness they had decided to allow pure chance to dictate their coffee order for the morning. This explained why Kurt was staring in slight sadness at the tiny, TINY cup of intensely dark Turkish coffee sitting before him while Blaine was trying hard not to look at ...at whatever the monstrosity he had in front of him was.

"So, what was this again? "Blaine asked Kurt quietly.

"I think she said it was a half-caff minted mocha with extra cream."

Blaine went pale.

"At least yours doesn't look like you could resurface a road with it. "Kurt poked at the contents of his tiny cup with his spoon and then checked to see if the spoon was showing any signs of corruption or etching.

"I just can't handle this much sugar Kurt."

"This from the boy who polishes off at least five pounds of candy by himself every time we have a movie night? "Kurt sniggered across the table.

"That's candy, "Blaine explained, as if to a dim child, "Coffee should be a pure experience."

They both stared at their drinks.

"Why did we agree to random ordering? "Kurt asked in resignation.

"Kurt ..." Blaine seemed to be having an idea, "Want to swap?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

As they enjoyed their ...well, each other's coffees a dishevelled but remarkably clean figure rushed over to the outside table they were sitting at and smiled at them.

"Hello boys! "The man exclaimed, "It's wonderful to see you!"

"Pete! "Blaine exclaimed, "Great to see you."

"What happened Pete? "asked Kurt, "You're ..."

"Clean? "Pete smiled, "Yeah, that's an interesting story."

"How is Meggle? "Kurt interjected swiftly. "Actually, where's Meggle?"

"She's part of the story, "Pete smiled, "She's looking after a friend of mine."

"Do tell. "Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"Well, after I left you the other night I was trying to think of a way to get the money to get Meggle checked up at the vet..."

Kurt and Blaine indicated that they wanted Pete to sit at their table.

"...so, I don't know what was happening that night, but my luck has really changed. I picked up at least four dollars in change as we were walking back to my flop, and then the wind picked up and a hundred dollar bill hit me in the face!"

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look and sipped their coffees.

"...I took Meggle to the vet the next day and she fixed her paw up no problem. Then I thought I might go buy myself a cup of real coffee. I haven't had one of those since ...well ... since ... before I started drinking."

"You don't have to tell us your past Pete. "Blaine said.

"Unless you feel you want to. "Kurt added gently.

"I think I might like to talk about boys, if you don't mind."

Kurt and Blaine simply nodded to him and Kurt placed a soft hand on Blaine's.

"Simple story, the short version is, I used to be a big business type. I had money, the big house, cars, the works." Kurt poured Pete a glass of water and offered it to him.

"I had a wife, Lisa was her name, and a daughter, Amy. " Pete sighed sadly and sipped his water. "One night they were out shopping for Amy's third birthday present and, well ...this was about eight or nine years ago. I don't know if you boys would remember the big fire that hit the old mall back then, but about twenty people were killed, and they included Lisa and Amy."

Blaine shook his head sadly.

"I remember it, "Kurt said, "It happened about a month before my mom died. She helped me make a condolence card to send to the injured kids in the hospital."

Pete smiled at Kurt. "Of course you'd do something like that Kurt. You're a good kid."

Kurt blushed and Blaine just beamed at him proudly.

"Well, I went off the deep end. I started drinking, stopped going to work, stopped caring really."

Blaine and Kurt nodded sympathetically.

"Eventually I lost everything. I wound up on the street, in a daze, just waiting for my body to catch up to my heart and die too."

Pete took a deep breath and smiled at the boys.

"It still hurts, but now I know that I had no right to just let myself go like that. Lisa and Amy would have been so mad at me. Then one day I was sleeping under a tree in the park and this little kitten just crawled up to me and started begging for food."

"Meggle?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah. She needed someone, and for some reason I decided I would be that person. I helped her, and somehow I found the strength to stop trying to destroy my life, and start living it, for her."

"I'm glad. "Kurt's eyes were full of tears. So were Blaine's.

"But enough of the past, "Pete took another breath, "So after Meggle got her paw fixed, I decided to buy myself a cup of coffee, just like my old yuppie self."

Kurt smiled at Pete's self deprecation.

"I was in the line to get a cup, when the man in front of me realised he had left his wallet in his office. I had a pocketful of change still, so I offered to pay for his coffee."

Blaine smiled this time.

"You should have seen his face. Here's this smelly, homeless man holding out a ten dollar note to buy a guy in a suit a cup of coffee. I bet he thought he was getting punked."

"What happened then? "Kurt was curious.

"Well, he wanted to know what my story was, and we sat on the bench outside and drank our drinks and he offered me a place to sleep and shower and stuff and I thought, well, it's not charity if I offered him help first is it so ..."

"So you're off the streets now Pete? That's great."Kurt was beaming.

"Actually, no, "Pete explained, "I took his offer of a shower, but I'm staying on the streets for a little while longer. I've got me a new mission, thanks to Miss Meggle."

Two sets of articulate eyebrows quizzed him from across the table.

"He gave me a job in his restaurant, washing dishes. Not great money, but I get free meals and I've started helping out some of the other street people. Especially the younger ones – they need someone to make sure they stay safe, or get help if they need it."

Kurt reached over and squeezed the man's hand.

"So that's where Meggle is now actually, "Pete added, "We found a young girl who really needed a friend. Her name is Stephanie and she's only sixteen. Her folks kicked her out of home and she's pretty desperate and in need of someone to care for her. So I'm here buying some supplies she really needs while Meggle keeps her company."

"Do you need money? "Blaine asked, "I'd really like to be able to help too you know."

"Maybe later, "Pete smiled at him, "I found a handbag sitting on the seat at the bus stop this morning and I turned it in to the cops. The owner came down to collect it and went looking for me. She gave me a hundred dollars as a reward! "

The boys seemed impressed. (but neither were surprised at Pete's run of luck)

"I know I turned your money down before Blaine, "Pete shrugged, "But I realise now that if I'm going to help people, then I need to accept help to. So I accepted the reward and now I need to do some shopping."

"Shopping! " Kurt brightened, "Can we come too, I love shopping. What are we buying?"

"Medicine, food and diapers, "Pete listed.

"Diapers? "Blaine exclaimed.

"Yeah, "Pete sighed sadly, "She's just a poor scared kid and her baby is due in less than a month."


	14. Kind, brown, eyes

**A/N: Ello all! I hope those who have chosen to stick with this story are getting their money's worth. Oh wait, it's free. Um ...I hope they are getting some money's worth then. **  
><strong>Thankyou to all the lovely people who review and message etc. I love a nice review, I love a long long long detailed review or private message even more, and I've gotten a couple of them so I'm happy.<strong>

**I love that several people are as confused about what's going to happen next as I am. The plot bunnies in my head only let me get a few spoilers now and then. (for they are mean and teasing bunnies)**

**I'm going to have to change the rating I think. Just to be safe. Some of the next chapters have a bit of a dark or adult-theme-tinged flavour about them, and I don't want to shock anyone. Now I just have to figure out HOW one does this.**

**Thanks again to all my regular reviewers and communicators. I hope you don't mind folks, but I stole some of your names for some of the minor characters in the story. If anyone IS offended, please tell me asap and I'll try to fix it. Be aware that I stole the NAME only. If you wind up having a unicorn or a dead person or a tree named after you, it doesn't mean you ARE one (etc). I just needed names, and the names were THERE in my reviews and messages and they were cool names and ...um ... so... (forgive me please?) (puppy dog eyes)  
><strong>

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, nor do I claim to do so. I play in the sandbox, I don't claim the sand (although it DOES have a habit of getting into your ...um, yeah... It can be scratchy ok? Nuff Said.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

She was sure she had left her earrings on the dresser as usual, but although she had searched and searched she could still only find one. She turned up the volume on her I-pod and gave an experimental sashay across the room as she tried to cudgel her brain into coughing up its knowledge. She had taken them out of her jewellery box to see whether or not they matched her new dress as well as she had thought they might when in the store. She had smiled when the brilliant blue stones had indeed been enhanced by the blue of the dress. She had put the dress back in the closet and had decided to ... Her memory was struggling here.

She sat on the bed and stared into her mirror.

"Come on stupid girl, THINK! "She glared into her reflection's eyes. "Earrings, blue, they come in twos, not singles and you don't want the earring that's left to be all sad and lonely do you?"

Suddenly she had a thought. Sitting on her bed ...sitting on her...

She leapt to her feet and peered under her bed, finally kneeling as she swept the comforter away from the edge to allow more light to penetrate.

Twelve million dust bunnies, that book she had never read past page four of, assorted headbands and ...ahHA! One turquoise drop earring! She stood beside the bed, holding her prize aloft like a successful gladiator.

Her phone began to ring. Luckily she knew where IT was. She looked at the caller id. Kurt Hummel! What on earth...?

"Hello Kurt, "she answered, slightly puzzled, "What can I do for you?"

"Blaine and I really need your help, "the counter-tenor's voice sounded a little tense – as if he were nervous about what he was about to ask for. "We need you to help us talk to someone ..."

Quinn Fabray sat on her bed and listened to Kurt's request, the earring forgotten again in her hand. After a while she cried as she listened.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave Karofsky sat staring at the very large, very ugly dog. It was black, mostly, and ...possibly part St Bernard? Maybe a bit of pitbull? Those ears looked ...yeah, it was a mongrel all right.

The dog looked back at him with soulful brown eyes.

When Kurt had first suggested Dave 'dog-sit' for Blaine while he was off in Chicago for his gig at Six-Flags he had been sceptical. Who would have thought that a preppy hobbit like Blaine would have a dog like ...like this MONSTER.

Dave tried to remember what he had learned while watching endless episodes of _The Dog Whisperer_ while he'd been expelled.

No eye contact, or at least, no maintained contact.

Speak calmly and firmly, but don't shout.

Keep movements non-threatening but make sure you remain the alpha...

Geez, it's just a dog – how hard can this be?

The dog continued to stare at the nervous teen.

Dave looked over at the carton of food and other accessories Blaine had dropped over when he had delivered the dog. Blaine had been smiling a lot at him. That made Dave nervous. Even after the Bully-Whips Dave wasn't used to people smiling at him. Not since he was a kid.

The dog sighed and lay down, still staring at him with big brown eyes.

Blaine had spent a few minutes 'talking' to the dog, offering it a few choice treats to keep him calm Dave supposed. Dave recalled seeing a flash of what looked like gold as Blaine was saying something to the dog about 'being a good friend' or ...something.

Actually, Dave thought to himself, considering what he'd seen Hummel do, maybe Blaine HAD been talking to ...hey, Blaine had forgotten to tell him the dogs name!

Dave finally walked over to the dog, who was continuing to stare up at him.

He crouched down so he was at the dog's eye level.

"Hey boy, Blaine forgot to tell me your name. Is it written on your collar tag? Can I take a look?"

He tried to keep his tone even and low, so the dog would sense his mood and remain calm.

The dog perked his ears up and stared even harder at him.

/**HELLO?**/_nervousness_/** NAME?**/_sense of belonging_/**WE PACK NOW?**/_hunger, loneliness, hope_/**LOVE ME?**/

Dave sat suddenly on the ground as his legs gave out. The dog raised its head and whined softly.

/**ALPHA SAY DAVE PACK NOW**/_image of Blaine_/**DAVE LEADER?**/_image of Dave's face_/**HOME HOME HOME!**/_sense of safety,trust, protectiveness_/**FOOD NOW?**/

Dave sat in front of the dog and began to cry silently. The dog licked his face.

He suddenly realised just how sneaky Hummel and his hobbit were.

He wanted to kill them for...

/**FOOD NOW**/_smell of meat, hunger pangs_/**THEN WALK**/_sensation of running through long grass_/**BELONG NOW**/_joy joy joy joy joy/_**LOVE _DAVE_**_  
><em>

Dave would have to thank the boys later, he decided, he had to go search for a can opener now.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Pete led the two boys across town. They had left Kurt's car parked near the cinemas. (Blaine's car was parked in its spot at the Hummel's awaiting cleaning and fumigation before Kurt would even DREAM of sitting in it after that DOG had been in it.)

Pete knew the alleyways and parks of Lima well. He knew where the safe places to sleep could be found. (well, safer anyway) He knew which shelters were open when, and how to get some food or a bath or even some new clothes by behaving the way the shelter wanted you to.

Stephanie, he explained, had refused to go back to the shelter she had been staying at. She wouldn't tell him why but he suspected that the workers at the shelter might have erred a little too far onto the 'Christian' side of the phrase 'Christian Charity'. He explained to the boys that for the most part, the various shelters and charities were pretty good about not forcing their beliefs down the throats of the poor and vulnerable. Some issues however, he related, were like red rags to a bull. A pregnant teen would probably qualify as an entire signature Valentino red dress, Kurt thought, let alone a rag.

"How are gay people treated then? "Kurt asked as they walked quickly along the back ways to where Pete had left the homeless girl in the care of a small, ginger kitten.

Pete explained that most of the street people soon learned to hide things like that beneath the surface. Most places wouldn't turn away someone in need, no matter what their issue might be, but being welcomed and being judged were two very different feelings.

Poor Stephanie hadn't been able to hide her 'issue' though and had felt increasingly isolated and unwelcome at the shelter she had been in.

Since it was summer, the weather meant that there was little danger of freezing to death during the night (as there was in winter) and so the girl had run away from the shelter and had tried to make it on her own sleeping rough.

Meggle had led Pete to her one night, and the older man had taken it upon himself to keep her safe and as comfortable as he could. He had tried to talk to her, but the difference in their age alone was enough to make that awkward.

"I'm not sure what help a couple of gay teens are going to be then. "Kurt mused as he walked beside Pete.

"Oh, you two are gay? "Pete asked, "I hadn't realised...cool!"

He thought about it for a moment.

"I should have guessed, just from the way you two look at each other."

Kurt and Blaine both gave him slightly confused looks.

"It reminded me of how Lisa and I used to be. "Pete sighed as he walked. "All those years of trying to forget them, to avoid the pain, and all the time I was just hurting so badly."

Kurt gave him a gentle pat on the arm.

"Now, finally I can think about them, and it still hurts, but now I can also remember the good things. Never take each other for granted boys, love is too precious to waste or to let fade. "

As he spoke the small group approached a boarded up derelict building in the industrial area which backed onto a large park. With practiced ease Pete moved a section of the chain-link fence surrounding the structure and held it up for the boys to scramble in.

"Watch where you stand in here boys, "he said, "Some of the floorboards are a bit rotten, and some of the walls are a bit unstable, but this place has been vacant for years and it still hasn't fallen down."

"If it's not safe... "Kurt was concerned.

"It's relatively clean. It's dry and some parts of the roof don't leak, "Pete tried to explain. "There are only so many ways into the building, so if anyone tries to get in, Stephanie can spot them and either hide or get out. I've shown her all the exits and hiding holes. For a homeless person, this place is a palace."

Blaine smiled at Pete, but his eyes betrayed the deep sorrow and pity he felt for the plight of so many struggling people. Blaine made a promise to himself that he would try to do something about it. Pete continued to speak as they made their way through what looked like an old factory floor.

"Finding this place was the first piece of luck I'd had for years. Well, actually, finding Miss Meggle was the first, then here, and then you boys. Since I found you everything seems to be on the up. "

Kurt reached his hand out to squeeze Blaine's. They smiled at each other and their eyebrows said their usual silent 'I love you'.

Beneath a rusty, but solid looking set of stairs the boys could see what looked like a child's blanket fort. Cardboard was spread on the floor here, which was much cleaner and freer from dust than the rest of the building. A small ginger kitten was playing in a beam of sunlight which angled in from a hole high on one wall. Watching the kitten play was a figure in a large black heavy metal band T-shirt and black men's sweat pants. Stephanie was small, Kurt thought, she reminded him of Rachel Berry in that way, maybe even shorter. Her hair was jet black. Even Blaine could tell that it was dyed however, as the roots betrayed the fact with about two inches of light brown showing how long it had been since the young girl had been able to afford a hairdresser.

Her skin was pale, almost as pale as Kurt's, and she had multiple ear and brow piercings and even a nose ring. Thick black eyeliner completed the picture, but failed to hide both the delicate bone structure of her face or the pale and slightly unwell aura which hid beneath it. She looked, Kurt thought, like a Goth fairy.

"Alice Cooper and Tinkerbelle had a kid! "Blaine whispered in his ear as they approached.

Pete smiled as he saw the antics of his feline friend.

"Yo Steff, "he said, "You heard us coming through the factory floor I assume?"

Stephanie looked up from where she was kneeling and smiled at Pete. She looked warily at the two boys but remained on the floor.

"I almost legged it when I saw you had company, but Meggle wouldn't let me catch her to hide, and then I figured that you wouldn't bring anyone dangerous here Pete, so I stayed."

She reached out a hand to Blaine, who automatically reached back.  
>"Call me Steffi, "She smiled wryly as she used Blaine's support to haul herself to her feet.<p>

Now she was standing it became obvious how pregnant she was. On her tiny frame the swollen belly looked painful. She was looking back and forwards between the two boys, obviously wanting an introduction and an explanation.

"Hi Steffi, "Blaine's charm was also automatic, "I'm Blaine, Blaine Anderson and this well dressed angel is my _boyfriend_ Kurt Hummel."

Blaine had decided recently that when dealing with teenage girls, it was less embarrassing for all concerned to get the whole 'I'm gay and in a committed relationship' thing out into the light of day as soon as possible, BEFORE they started crushing on him (and on a few occasions, on Kurt).

A gentle smirk on Steffi's face showed Blaine the wisdom of this course as she looked into his eyes.

"I bet you say that to all the girls, hot stuff, "Steffi's smirk developed into a full grin, "I had sort of figured Kurt was playing for the other team, but I had hoped that you and me could be married and having kids by Christmas."

Blaine blinked in shock while Kurt snorted with laughter. Kurt liked this girl's style.

"But now my heart is shattered and our love is doomed, which is a real pity since I made a head-start on the 'having kids' part of it while I was waiting for you."

Blaine's eyes crinkled with laughter too.

The four sat on the floor and ate lunch and talked.

At first Steffi was reluctant to open up much, but eventually they got some of her story out of her. When Kurt reached into his almost magic messenger bag and offered her a tube of black lipstick (a present he had picked up for Tina and forgotten to take out he said) she almost wept.

They all wept at certain points in her story, but Steffi refused to give in to tears. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in concern at this. It was obvious that the young girl needed to open up and really talk to someone, but they didn't feel able to convince her to fully relax and let her emotions out. Even _The Speech_ had failed.

Blaine took a chance to chat to Meggle the kitten when Steffi had to run off to the bathroom in the nearby park, taking a much faster route through the back of the building. Pete went with her to keep her safe. Kurt sat thinking for a few moments and then joined in Blaine's chat with the kitten. It was an interesting experience, with long pauses in conversation while Blaine had to translate the kitten's comments for Kurt.

"We need to get Steffi somewhere safer and cleaner than here." Kurt finally said what he had been thinking for hours.

"We need to find her someone to talk with, she has some real issues locked inside that sarcastic shell of hers. "Blaine responded.

Meggle said they needed to find a mother who could teach Steffi how to litter properly, she was getting close to her time.

Kurt had an idea.

He hated his idea.

Finally, he shared his idea.

"Blaine, we both know someone who could maybe relate to Steffi's story. Someone who could understand her and her issues the same way you were able to understand mine."

Blaine's eyes widened as he realised who Kurt was talking about.

"But would she be willing to do that? I mean, Kurt, from what you've told me she went through some pretty rough times herself. Would she be ok opening up all those old wounds again for a person she's never met before?"

"Quinn Fabray may be a vain and self centred bitch sometimes, "Kurt smiled, "But she is also one of the most caring and generous people I know. She just doesn't like to let people in on her secret."

Blaine smiled at Kurt's description. Kurt could have been describing himself, Blaine thought.

Kurt found his phone and began to look for his listing for Quinn.

"You know I don't believe in religion or God or anything, "he said as he found the number, "Well Quinn is a Christian in the BEST sense of that word. She doesn't judge, she doesn't hate, she just offers her heart and her help to those in need. More people should be like her. Certainly more 'so-called' Christians."

Kurt discovered he had no signal in the old factory. His phone apologised to him and he patted it absently and comforted it.

"Must be the metal in the walls, "he said, "I'll go for a stroll in the park too I guess. I'll meet her on the other side of the park and walk her over. It will be easier than trying to explain how to get here the way we came."

He passed Pete and Steffi as they came back into the building. Pete showed him the safe path out and Kurt explained to Steffi who he was calling and why. She was dubious, but eventually agreed to talk to Quinn. She wasn't looking at all well now and Kurt really wanted to get her somewhere safe and clean.

Kurt explained the problem to Quinn as he walked across the park to where she agreed to meet him. Quinn arrived and they took the fifteen minute stroll across the park to the industrial area where the abandoned factory was located.

Quinn and Steffi sent the boys out of the room so they could chat in private. After about an hour Quinn appeared breathless in the doorway of the room the boys were talking in. Before she could say anything Kurt reached into his bag and offered her the small box of tissues he kept in there (for makeup and/or weepy movie emergencies).

Another hour passed and finally Quinn and Steffi finished talking.

"I've tried to convince Steffi to come home with me, "Quinn explained, "But she wants to stay here for now. I've also told her that I do not give up that easily and I am a WAY scarier bitch than her, so we're going to keep fighting about it until she gives in eventually."

Steffi snorted, but the small, genuine smile she gave Quinn showed that some connection had been made at least. Certainly her face was tracked with tears but she seemed less tense.

"I don't need to be a burden for someone else, "she said, "But Quinn, if you feel like talking some more about ...you know, well, feel free to pop in anytime."

"I will be, don't worry."

As Quinn, Kurt and Blaine walked across the park to where Quinn had left her car they talked.

"Thanks for what you are doing for Steff,i Quinn, "Kurt smiled at her.

"I like her, "Quinn said, "She has guts, which she's going to need."

"Did you talk about what she's going to do with the baby? "Blaine asked.

"Not yet, first we have to get her to my house. She needs somewhere safe, and access to a doctor. I'm worried about her health, she's very underweight for her stage of pregnancy."

"She's due in a month she thinks? "Kurt took Blaine's hand as they passed through a patch of wildflowers. The blooms reminded him of the day they had put the rings on.

Quinn reached in to her purse for her car keys as they watched a couple with a young girl packing the remains of their picnic into the car next to hers.

She sighed, the girl was about the age Beth would be.

"We only have a couple of weeks to convince her to come to my place, "Quinn said, "With her size and weight I want her close to medical attention, that baby could be a problem."

She offered the boys a lift back to the cinema where Kurt had parked his baby.

"I should be thanking you boys too you know, "she said.

"Why? "They spoke in unison.

"Steffi really needed to talk her issues through with someone who understood them, "she was crying.

"It turns out, so did I."


	15. A Million Reasons To Talk

**A/N: Hi all, hopefully I can get a couple of new chapters up and sorted (or maybe vice versa) in the next few days. Work had really been messing me around and since I tend to write on the nights when I am not sleeping, it's just making everything so tiring! **  
><strong>But enough about my woes<strong>  
><strong>Thanks for all the lovely reviews and private messages - I really appreciate people taking the time to not only show they care, but that they THINK too! <strong>  
><strong>For all those asking about Brittany and Lord T and Great-Gran and the fae stuff etc etc - um ... I still don't really know.<strong>

**I'm pretty sure my subconcious knows what it's doing, so I'm just going to trust it. It's led me this far! I do know from the rough draft of the next chapter which I am trying to add punctuation and spelling and VERBS etc to (like what how grownup peoples write!) that Lord T is going to get a grilling from the boys (who have been doing some research "off camera" so to speak), and that Brittany just gets MORE mysterious. Plus, what Mr and Mrs Anderson KNOW (or guess), It made ME laugh (out loud) so hopefully you'll find it amusing too.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not claim to write Glee, I just write about stuff in its universe... oh, and really, really, really long author's notes (sorry)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Burt Hummel was trying very hard not to listen to the conversation happening in his kitchen. His step-son Finn was obviously on the phone to ...Rachel?  
>Burt thought he had a better than even chance that Rachel was currently the one in the relationship with Finn.<p>

(Finn's relationship status over the past two years had been, not so much _fluid _as ...splashy? sloppy? whirlpool?)

Anyway, Burt was trying hard NOT to listen to Finn's voice as it boomed out from the kitchen.

.

"Please, I really don't know what I've done to upset you, but I'm trying to make it up, honestly!"

Burt shook his head. Sometimes that boy...

"I said I was sorry. I don't know what else I can do. I just really, really want it."

Burt sat up straighter. What the heck...?

"OW! That's just being mean... no, it really hurt. I don't throw things at _you_ like that, do I?"

Burt resolved to have a serious talk to Finn, very soon.

"So how about this then? If I promise to help Kurt give you that make over he's been on about, you let me rummage around in there for a few minutes till I find what I'm looking for? OK?"

"OK, that's enough! "Burt stood abruptly and stormed into the kitchen.

Finn was standing against the sink in a defensive posture with an empty bowl and a packet of corn chips in his hands. The floor was littered with ice cubes, some of them shattered as if Finn had been throwing them around the kitchen.

"You apologise to Rachel right now for talking to her like that and then you and me are having a SERIOUS discussion about appropriate behaviour young man. "Burt was fuming.

"Rachel's here? "Finn asked, a smile starting to appear on his face. It flickered as his brain caught up with the rest of Burt's outburst. "What? I mean... Dad, what are you...? I haven't talked to Rachel since... um... what?"

Finn's look of confusion couldn't be faked. Burt started to calm down. He turned to look toward the sofa. Sitting on the table in front of it was Finn's phone.

Finn brightened as if he was having a brilliant idea.

"Hey, BURT, "He said, emphasising Burt's name. "Burt Hummel, Kurt's DAD, owner of this house and all the stuff in it. I bet on a hot day like today you would love a nice cold drink from the refrigerator, and maybe some tasty snacks, also from the refrigerator!"

Burt just looked at him, also confused now.

Finn opened the fridge and quickly got out some drinks, some cheese dip, some hummus and one of the packets of vegetable crudités that Kurt put in there especially for his dad to snack on. He gave the hummus and vegies to Burt who turned without speaking and left the room. Finn checked in the fridge to see if there was anything else he wanted to grab then shut the door and went to retrieve his chips. He glanced at the fridge and smirked at it.

"OW!" He exclaimed, as another ice cube bounced of his forehead and rattled across the floor.

.

decided he better sit down with Burt and try to make good ... whatever the hell it was he didn't remember doing wrong.  
>Burt was sitting down absently eating his healthy snack while he flipped through the local TV guide for inspiration.<p>

"Um... Burt, did I do...?"

"Sorry Finn, "Burt seemed almost embarrassed, "I just... I...um... I just wanted to make sure that you were treating Rachel right, you know, respecting her and... stuff."

"Oh totally I am, "Finn was smiling now, "I mean, she and me and being back together is ...well, I learned from what I did to her while we were in New York..."

Burt looked up suddenly.

"...on STAGE, during the performance, when I kissed her without asking! I just want to make sure I don't mess it all up ...again ...um ...again. Again-again." Finn nodded as he got the semantics right.

(I know...)

Burt smiled at Finn. His heart was in the right place at least.

"What do we usually watch at this time anyway? I was thinking we could catch the second period of the Lakers game maybe? "Burt turned the plasma on and selected the sports channel.

As he placed the remote back down on the coffee table in front of him and reached for his soda (diet of course) the opening theme to America's Next Top Model came on.

"Oh that's right, "Finn was looking at the back of the paper to check out the baseball results. "It's usually Kurt's night for the big screen. Hey! Where is Kurt anyway?"

.

Burt picked the remote up, changed to the correct channel and put it back down.

"He went out with Blaine for coffee this morning. They were going to do some shopping, some lunch, catch a movie, maybe visit one of Kurt's girlfriends... He said he wasn't going to be home until after dinner."

"And you just let him go? "Finn seemed ...shocked.

Burt sighed. "I trust Kurt. I trust both of them. I admit it has been a bit hard to just watch my baby boy growing up but ...I really like Blaine. More importantly, I like how Kurt is when Blaine is around. I started out as the protective Poppa Bear, but now..."

Finn smiled his lopsided grin. "I know what you mean. I get the feeling Blaine and Kurt are different from the rest of us."

Burt looked at the television, which was showing scenes of long-legged women in strange and impractical clothing walking up and down a catwalk.

"Damn it, I thought I pushed the right button this time! "He snarled as he changed back to the basketball.

He turned back to Finn.

"What do you mean by different? "He asked carefully.

"Oh I don't mean like... no... NO! I mean, well... "Finn seemed to be thinking more carefully about his answer than Burt had ever seen before.

"Rachel and I, we love, well... I love her, a whole lot. "Finn began, "But when I look at the way Kurt and Blaine are with each other ..."

He shrugged.

"...There's just no comparison. The only people I've seen look at each other like they do is ..."He faded out uncomfortably.

"Is who Finn? "Burt seemed to genuinely want to know.

"...You and my mom."

.

Burt sat back. If even Finn had noticed...

He froze for a second then looked up at the TV screen. The long-legged women were now bitching about each other on hidden cameras as they got their makeup retouched.

"What is wrong with this damned television tonight?"

Finn looked at Burt with a serious expression.

"You have to ask it nicely. "He said.

Burt just looked at the boy in confusion.

"Haven't you noticed how all the appliances in the house have gotten all weird recently? "Finn asked.

"Everything is working just fine, "Burt said, "Well, except that light in the stairwell. It's flickered a few times when I've been heading up to check on Kurt or to go to the bathroom or something."

"It's _Kurt_ that's done it, "said Finn. "I just know it is."

He leant closer to Burt and whispered.

"My X-box was letting him win all the time. But when I said something to Kurt, the next day it was back to normal. Well, except it gave him three extra lives AND unlimited ammo, but I don't think Kurt noticed that."

Burt was confused (again) and absent-mindedly changed the channel again while trying to see if Finn looked feverish or ill in any way.

"Finn, what are you talking..."

.

The models were cooing and screaming over some sort of ...how could anyone ever walk in a shoe like that Burt wondered?

He looked at the remote in his hand.

.

PUSH – '...Lakers lead by four points at the bottom of ...'

'...seven inch heels with an upper made entirely of treated shark skin and ...'

PUSH – '... and the point guard fouls ...'

'...encrusted with diamonds and...'

.

Burt looked from the television to the remote control and back to Finn.

"Talk to it, "Finn encouraged.

Burt just stared at him.  
>Finn smiled at him and looked at the TV.<p>

"Hey... um, TV set, "Finn seemed sure of himself, if a little self-conscious, "...um, Kurt isn't here tonight. I know this is usually his night to watch his stuff on the plasma but he's gone out, so would it be ok if we could watch our show instead? I'm sure Kurt would want his Dad to enjoy the basketball on a really great screen like you have. I mean, that picture quality is rad, and the sound? Whoohee!"

Burt blinked at Finn. Then blinked again as the models disappeared from the screen to be replaced by the squeaking of basketball shoes on polished wood.

Burt looked at Finn.  
>He looked at the remote control sitting on the table.<br>He really didn't know what to say.

"Hey Burt, "Finn said, "Watch out for the fridge ok? He has a really weird sense of humour and his aim with the ice cubes is getting way better."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Blaine and Kurt were sitting in Breadsticks enjoying their dessert.

"...so then Jeff said, and this is what caused the whole rumour to start up AGAIN, he said 'Oh, but you've got to draw the line SOMEWHERE'! "Blaine's face was flushed and his eyes sparkled.

"He did NOT say that! "Kurt seemed torn between outrage and hysterical giggles.

"I know! Anyway, and the woman in the tanning booth just..."

Blaine's phone beeped for an incoming message. He continued to relate the story of Jeff's mortification as he opened and read it. Kurt contented himself with a small chuckle as he licked the last of the strawberry mousse from his spoon.

Blaine sighed.

"Problems? "Kurt queried him.

"Mom and Dad want me to ask you over for a late lunch tomorrow. Apparently it's IMPORTANT. "He grimaced.

"I like your mom and dad Blaine, "Kurt smiled, "and there are only a couple of weeks left before you have to head off to Chicago for your Six-Flags gig. You should spend some time with them. Your dad has improved so much!"

"I know Kurt, but they want to talk about Great-Gran and ...stuff, and I just don't know how much I can tell them. Hell, I don't know how much I know!"

"We need to talk to Lord Tubbington some more, "Kurt mused, "I'll text Brittany and see if we can pop over tomorrow before we head off to Westerville. He looked up to see Blaine missing from the other side of their booth. Kurt looked around and relaxed when he saw the curly head over on the other side of the restaurant, helping the waitress restack the dishes she had obviously been about to drop before Blaine had caught them. Kurt listened in to his boyfriend's golden tones.

.

"...no, I was here the whole time, you must remember. I was just a few steps away, remember. Lucky I was or you might have gotten hurt. You shouldn't stack so many dishes on a single tray you know..."

Kurt smiled. He noted the heads beginning to turn towards the waitress and his boyfriend and with just a little effort he suddenly made the illusion of Azimio in his underwear streaking across the car-park appear outside the main window (in everyone's minds only of course, HE didn't want to see that) and smiled a little wider when the curious heads snapped round and a few chuckles were heard.

.

While Blaine spread charm and good advice liberally around the establishment, Kurt messaged his ditzy blond friend his request. A few minutes later she replied.

**FROM BRITTANY**: Lord T sez OK. Brunch at Yrs at 10? Ill drop him bt I G2go C Satan. She jst gt bk from Cleverland and we hv 2 tlk she sez. Miss u BabyK, luv 2 BlainyBoo 2 HUGZ.

Kurt blinked as he translated the message.

Text speak was hard enough. The text speak version of Brittany speak, when combined with misspellings, poor word choices and just plain forgetting what she was doing halfway through messaging... Brittany was always a treat.

.

Blaine returned to his seat and took Kurt's hand.

Kurt automatically dissuaded the gaze of anyone hostile to them. He smiled at Blaine.

"You used your _Glamour_ didn't you?"

"I'm using it now too, SpideyBlaine."

"Really? Why?"

"Anyone who is likely to be hostile or hateful about two boys holding hands will just find something more interesting to look at somewhere else." Kurt smiled at him.

"You can fine tune it that well?" Blaine seemed impressed.

"This from the boy who just ran across a half full restaurant in under a second, caught a dozen falling plates and assorted sharp cutlery and then convinced the people who saw him do it that they hadn't actually seen anything after all and that they should all make more effort to floss after each meal and look both ways before crossing the street?"

Kurt raised his eyebrow mockingly.

"You mock us sir!"Blaine pretended to be outraged.

"I didn't know I could fine tune it like this, until I just DID it. "Kurt said.

"I just found myself over there and the _Speech_ just flowed out by itself."

"What are we Blaine?"

"Two boys in love?"

"Aren't you scared?"

"Not while you're with me Kurt."

.

Kurt showed Blaine the message from Lord Tubbington and Brittany.

"We can sleep in, have a healthy breakfast, get some real answers from Lord Tubbington, drive to your place for lunch and find out what your parents need to tell you that is SO important."

Blaine smiled at his organised boyfriend, then looked down at their rings.

"I already know one of the things that they want to talk about, "He said softly, "Apparently Great-Gran is dead and she has named the person to succeed her as the Lord or Lady of Danaere."

Kurt looked at the emotions flitting through Blaine's usually calm gaze.

"Well, "He said calmly, "We both know she isn't REALLY dead, so that's one thing. Her note said so if nothing else. So who got named ...Oh My Gaga! Did your Dad get made the Lord? Do you have to move to Ireland or something? Are you ..."

"Kurt KURT! "Blaine said forcefully to snap his friend out of his mini-panic.

"Kurt. I am the Lord of Danaere Castle now. "He took Kurt's hand back between his own and kissed his fingers. "WE are now the Lords of Danaere."

"Kurt, "Blaine smiled gently, "It seems you and I are now the leaders of an entire organisation of insanely powerful supernatural do-gooders."

.

Kurt paled, and then his natural sarcasm surfaced.

"Does it come with a salary?"He quipped.

"Yes, "Blaine answered simply. "Mom and Dad explained that much to me before I escaped here."

Kurt blinked at Blaine.

"Well, I suppose it's not like your family is USED to money! "Kurt teased gently.

Blaine smiled at him and then sighed.

"You know I don't care about money Kurt. Let's just say it's a little bit more than tuition at Dalton runs to," he joked.

"Let me guess, "Kurt kept the joke going, "A hundred million dollars! No, Ireland uses Euros now don't they? A hundred million Euros!"

"I haven't tried to work the exchange rate out Kurt, but Dad estimates the US dollar value of the cash and liquid assets of the estate alone to be..."

He paused and swallowed nervously.

"Blaine, you're being scary now, just spit it out already!"

"One Hundred and Eighty."

"MILLION!" Kurt was staggered.

.

"No, "Blaine said quietly, "one hundred and eighty BILLION."

Kurt blinked.

"Ok then, "he said quietly, "but it's still MY turn to pay for dinner!"


	16. Lord Tubbington Waffles on and on and

**A/N: Hello all. I decided to split the big hodgepodge of this chapter into two. **

**Then of course, having decided that, I suddenly felt the need to write more, meaning that I wound up with TWO huge hodgepodge chapters. **

**This one is as ready as I can make it. Far from perfect, but I need to get it out of the way because then I can get the NEXT chapter out of the way, and the extra stuff IT has in it needs some serious time to be worked on. Hopefully it will only take me a day or two - but then again, that's what I always say and then work, life, plot bunny shyness etc etc step in and ... and then I talk too much in the Author's Note. :(**  
><strong>Anyway - please keep up the reviews and messages etc. They really do make my day. In fact I've been TRYING to review more of the stories I read - but as you can see from this note, I ramble even when trying not to so ... oh well.<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own or claim the character's written about in this story. Well, except for some of them, but everyone knows who wrote the others so that should be clear. OK?**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

Kurt awoke to a deep purring rumble against his back and strong muscular arms wrapped around his chest. He kept his eyes closed as he took a moment to just feel warm and safe. He smiled gently as he felt every muscle in his arms and legs gradually awaken, just as he felt the warm glow of utter love spreading gently throughout his entire body.

Kurt's breath caught in his chest as he suddenly tried to sit up. What if his Dad were to come in and...

Blaine's arms instinctively tightened their grip, holding the boy to the bed as Blaine began to surface from his slumbers too.

.

"Mrngngmph, "Blaine mumbled indistinctly into Kurt's shoulder.

"Blaine, BLAINE! "Kurt hissed as he tried to wriggle free, "Let go you..."

Blaine opened one eye and looked at his wriggling boyfriend. He grinned sleepily and held Kurt even tighter.

.

"Mmmm, Kurt, wuvvsyuusmushh."

Kurt sighed, but continued his struggles. Damned SpideyBlaine and his super strength, I used to be able to get away from him, Kurt thought.

Kurt had an idea.

Kurt grinned to himself.

It was not a pleasant grin.

.

Blaine suddenly leapt from the bed shrieking. He landed on the window sill, almost toppling through the insect screens and out the open window. He stared with wide eyes at the bed he had just leapt from. From beneath the light sheet that he and Kurt had been wrapped in slid an enormous python. It had to be maybe twelve feet long with the most amazing patterns of scales along its back.

The snake hissed at him (was that LAUGHTER?) and slid off the bed and out of his sight.

A few seconds later Kurt stood up from the floor beside the bed and stretched. He looked at Blaine as he balanced on the sill, eyes wild and hair... mmm, tasty!

"I thought you were a fan of Harry Potter Blaine? "Kurt teased, "Or are you just too Gryffindor to cope with a little early morning Slytherin?"

Blaine glared at Kurt in mock annoyance.

"I just like a little warning when my boyfriend decides to go all scales and fangs on me, a girl likes to be eased into these things gently ya know!"

Kurt snorted, and then his breath caught as Blaine leapt from the window sill, over Kurt's head and landed behind him.

"Race you to the bathroom!"He grinned as he opened Kurt's door and ran through.

.

Kurt looked at the clock on his desk. Eight-Fifteen, plenty of time to prepare a simple breakfast for the two of them and their guests and then dress for his lunch date with the Andersons.

"Hey Kurt, "Blaine called from the bathroom, "Where do your clothes and stuff go when you transform? Are you naked under all those scales? Because I don't know if I'm ready to wake up in bed next to your naked sn..."

"BLAINE! "Kurt screeched, "Please!"

Kurt's blush could have powered a small town.

.

Eventually the boys showered, changed and headed down to breakfast. A note from Carole explained why they had not been disturbed last night.

.

Kurt and Blaine had gotten home well after dinnertime, and had gone up to Kurt's room to watch a special episode of Monster Trucks that Kurt had taped. (What? Trucks can be super models too!)

Both of them had fallen asleep. Burt, meanwhile, had fallen asleep on the couch (where Blaine usually slept when he stayed over). He had woken up just after midnight and gone to check on the boys. Finding them wrapped in each other's arms (fully clothed and above the covers) he hadn't had the heart to wake them and so had simply put a sheet over them to avoid night chills and gone to bed himself.

Carole's note also explained that everyone had left early that morning, even Finn who had been called over to Puck's house for some sort of 'crisis talk'.

Kurt tried to think of anything that didn't involve waffles that would motivate Finn to get out of bed before eight during summer break.

Speaking of waffles... Kurt turned to Blaine only to find that he had already set up the ingredients and equipment on the bench.

Kurt smiled fondly and greeted the kitchen appliances. He seemed particularly interested in something the fridge said to him and at one point burst out laughing. Blaine just shook his head and grinned.

"What? "Kurt deflected the laughter with a raised brow.

"It's just still a little freaky to think that you can actually hold a conversation with an appliance."

.

Kurt hugged his boyfriend to his chest and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Only these appliances, most machines I meet are just ...machines. These have started to come alive for some reason."

Blaine kissed him full on the lips.

"It's being around you Kurt. It certainly makes me feel alive!"

Kurt giggled and slapped Blaine lightly on the chest.

"Well now you know how I feel when you're having a deep and meaningful conversation with a passing squirrel Blaine!"

"Hey, she was a very interesting squirrel. It's not her fault she took a while to grasp what I was asking of her. You have to admit she got that kid's kite down from the tree pretty fast once she worked out what I wanted her to do with it."

"You charm ALL the ladies Blaine."

Blaine smiled into his kiss as he increased the passion level and Kurt saw stars for a second.

"I'd much rather be a snake charmer, "He murmured flirtatiously.

.

.

The doorbell rang before Kurt could respond. Then it rang again, then again.

Kurt raised both eyebrows and headed for the still ringing door, Blaine close behind him.

He opened the door to see Brittany dancing to the sound of the ringing, swooping in to push the button again as the tune faded each time. Sitting on the mat near her feet was the large figure of Lord Tubbington. His eyes followed Brittany's movements and he seemed almost...

"Blainey! Kurty! What are you doing here?"

"I live here Brittany. "answered Kurt, sighing, it was going to be one of THOSE days it seemed.

"Come inside guys, "Blaine smiled at the unusual pair. "We're making waffles!"

"Yummy! "Brittany practically spun on the spot with excitement as she danced into the house.

"I love waffles. Hey, that's a thing. Why do they call it a waffle IRON? Irons make your clothes flat but a waffle iron makes ridges, so why is it an iron then? And who ironed that Ironed Curtain we were talking about in History last September? And what's up with Iron Man? I was watching this show on TV about these totally hot surfing guys in Australia, and they said they were Iron Men, but they didn't have any armour on at all. Some of them had some really hot wet Speedos though. I wonder if they are all dolphins too, because dolphins totally live in the sea too you know. Anyway they weren't in armour, or flat so maybe they were Iron Men because they like waffles? What do you think Kurt?"

Kurt, from long experience, knew the only way to survive Brittany in a questioning mode was to focus on one thing and just answer that fully.

"They call it a waffle iron because it's made of iron Brittany, "He answered, "Plus it is a piece of metal that uses heat to set a shape in something, so that's called 'ironing' too."

Blaine leaned closer to Kurt's ear.

"Please tell me you are NOT contemplating letting Brittany near any sugar containing substances this morning."

Blaine smiled as Kurt giggled.

"I better make a pot of de-caff too then?"

Blaine pouted at him.

"Kurt! Are you trying to slowly kill me? I thought you loved me."

.

Lord Tubbington snorted with laughter as he made himself comfortable on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Wow, I love your plasma! "Brittany squealed, "Can I watch music videos?"

"Of course Brittany! "Blaine grinned, "Just let me find the remote."

.

.

He searched but couldn't see it anywhere. Kurt came back out from the kitchen and helped him search. Eventually they gave up and Blaine just turned the TV on at the set while Kurt walked back towards the kitchen. He stopped and looked towards the group.

"Sweetie, "He smiled at Blaine, "could you find the music channel for Brittany so she can dance while I finish off the waffles?"

Before Blaine could move to the controls the TV had flipped through a few channels, finally flicking between two different music video programs.

"Ooh, that one please! "Brittany enthused as she began dancing frenetically to some high energy bubblegum pop. "Your TV has really great taste Kurt!"

Blaine looked at Kurt in shock, as Kurt momentarily paled, then relaxed a little.

"It's OK Blaine, "He whispered, "I guess. I mean, if Brittany does say anything about it people will just assume it's her being ...Britt I suppose."

Blaine and Kurt looked at the dancing girl for a few seconds. She was now trying to talk to the lamp in the corner and the down lights in the ceiling to get them to make a disco light show for her.

Lord Tubbington sighed.

"Mr Hummel, it would appear that your powers are a little stronger than I at first realised. Am I to assume that every appliance, machine and computer in this house is now, for want of a better term, alive and self aware?"

"More or less Lord Tubbington, "Kurt grimaced, "It's not like I planned it or anything. I guess my magic ...um ...leaks a little?"

"Have you experienced anything similar Mr Anderson? "Lord Tubbington turned to Blaine.

"Well, the squirrels that live in the tree outside my bedroom window have started picking up our newspaper from the lawn if the paperboy throws it there and putting it on the porch so it doesn't get wet."

.

Blaine looked a little uncomfortable.

"I didn't ask them too you know. They said they just like me is all."

Lord Tubbington blinked in that way that only cats can blink.

.

"I wish... "He stopped himself, "That is to say, I would be so happy if I could understand what is going on here. I have tried to contact Lady Felicity in Ireland, but the usual channels of communication appear to be down."

.

Blaine looked even more uncomfortable for a few seconds, then glanced significantly towards Brittany, who had by now picked up one of Carole's indoor plants and was waltzing with it around the room to the tune of Barbie Girl.

Lord Tubbington nodded. "Perhaps we shall talk later. After my Brittany has gone to meet Ms Lopez. I would not want to be the cause of any more confusion in her mind. "

The cat was looking at Brittany with a look Blaine could only describe to himself as a mixture of utter devotion and ...wistful sorrow? Blaine made a mental note to get some serious answers out of his elusive feline breakfast guest.

* * *

><p>.<p>

After a brief but delicious breakfast, Brittany left to go meet Santana, who had only last night returned from visiting relatives in Cleveland.

"I love that girl to death, "Kurt murmured, "But how on earth did she get her driver's licence? And how is it that she never has an accident or anything? She has an even shorter attention span than Finn, and that's saying a lot!"

Lord Tubbington actually answered.

"You have heard stories about _Gremlins_ I suppose? "He asked. "Well a _Gremlin_ is actually a type of fairy. They have power to fix, control or damage machinery. A large group of them hide invisibly around Brittany's car while she is driving and ensure her safety."

"Note to self, "Blaine said out loud, "Never let Kurt get wet, and never, never feed Kurt after midnight!"

Kurt giggled and threw a strawberry at Blaine's head, HARD.

As he expected, Blaine's super reflexes meant he was able to pluck it out of the air and bite off half of it without even blinking. Blaine offered the other half of the delicious berry to Kurt. Kurt grinned and leant in to eat it, licking the sweet juice from Blaine's fingers as he did.

"Keep that up and we'll have more gold-laden rainbows breaking your windows! "Lord Tubbington teased.

.

Blaine and Kurt hurriedly cleaned up while Lord Tubbington asked the TV to find him a channel showing the latest world stock market reports. (He was thinking of diversifying his portfolio even further he explained to the boys)

.

.

Finally all three of them sat down in the living room (two on the sofa, one on the table) and the TV was switched off so the serious conversation could begin.

.

"Lord Tubbington, "Kurt began, "Before you were telling us about Gremlins. How many of the fairy stories are true? Blaine and I have been reading up on the topic. Apart from legends of the Tuatha De Danan in Ireland there are hundreds of different folklore tales about the Fae. Spenser's _Faerie Queen_, Shakespeare's fairies in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, French and German folk stories, Russian tales about the Snow Queen and Baba Yaga, which of them are true? Which of them are associated with the Society?"

Lord Tubbington seemed to gather himself.

"Most folktales and legends have a core of truth somewhere in them, Mr Hummel. And almost every country on earth has stories about mysterious 'other' peoples who are both helpful and mischieveous and are now hidden from the rest of the world. As for the Society of Danu? It has links to many of the world's major Fae powers. Danu, of course, was the founder, but there are links to many of the European fairy folk, various Chinese and other Asian fairies, water and cloud dragons, some of the animal spirits too."

Blaine and Kurt seemed amazed by this.

"Very, very few of the actual Fae still interact with our world. And those who do have chosen different ways to do so. Danu, Lady Felicity, was the most connected. She actually fell in love with a mortal all those thousands of years ago and founded her family line. For most of the time most Fae who stay in touch with us live in Faerie, but every few centuries they come back to our plane and ...meddle a bit. Lady Felicity was the exception. Well, the name changed over the years as she allowed her identity to age and die and then she would will the estate and everything else over to her 'new self' and begin the process again. Sometimes I think she actually arranged for herself to be reborn as one of her descendants."

Kurt's nose wrinkled a little at that.

"Please Mr Hummel, it's not like marrying your sister or something, Fae 'genetics' are more of an art than a science in any case."

"So was Lady Felicity my Great-Grandmother then or not?"Asked Blaine.

"She was actually your great-grandmother's great- grandmother I think, but she stayed around longer for some unknown reason this time. Usually she would get married, have a baby or three, then grow old and 'die' like a normal human, usually willing the estate to whichever of her "long lost relatives' she was going to replace her old self with. This time seems to be different. "

"Well THAT'S an understatement and a half! "Kurt was smiling wryly. "She's willed the estate to Blaine this time."

Lord Tubbington seemed like he wanted to faint again, but he shook it off and tried to put a brave face on things.

"I miss her terribly, "He said, "There aren't many of u...of the old one's left you know."

.

"So other Fae exist in our world too? Who? "Blaine seemed excited by the prospect. He seemed to be staring into Lord Tubbington's eyes.

"I don't understand what you're asking Mr Anderson." Lord Tubbington seemed nervous.

"You've let it slip that you were born over a hundred years ago Lord Tubbington, and that you are more than JUST a simple cat. I'd like to know who and what you really are. "Blaine was staring the cat down now.

"I'm sure I've told you everything you really need to know for now Mr Anderson... "Lord Tubbington seemed nervous.

"And I'm really curious about your relationship with Brittany. "Kurt added.

"I think we need to concentrate on the situation with the Society and Lady Felicity don't you Mr Hummel?"

.

"What other names are you called by Lord Tubbington?"asked Blaine.

.

"I've told you some of them already, "the cat smiled at the boys.

.

"Again, what other names are you called by Lord Tubbington? "Blaine asked again, a more formal ring entering his tone.

.

"Why the interrogation my dear boy? I've had so many names over the years. Why, I'm not even sure I can REMEMBER all of them. "The cat's eyes twinkled as he made his joke.

.

"I ask you for the third time Lord Tubbington, "Blaine seemed almost to be reciting a spell now, "What other names are you known..."

.

"Please don't! "Lord Tubbington suddenly begged, "I'll tell you something, but don't force me to tell you it all. I simply couldn't bear it."

Blaine stopped speaking without completing his sentence.

He nodded to the cat to proceed. Kurt watched silently, then reached out and picked Lord Tubbington up and sat him on his lap, stroking the cat's long fur and offering him comfort.

"We didn't want to upset you Lord Tubbington but we need some answers. "He sighed as he felt the tension and emotion within the cat's body.

"I always hated the rule of three you know, "Lord Tubbington sighed as he allowed Kurt to relax him. "You've been doing research again. Damned things, books. Bah!"

"Who are you really Lord Tubbington and what are you? "Blaine asked.

"...and why are you living with my friend Brittany? "Kurt asked as an addendum.

Lord Tubbington blinked slowly, then a single tear formed and dropped down his face.

"For the last question, can I just answer... um... Brittany is very special, and I was drawn to her to protect and guide her, the same way the Gremlins were. She is someone that all of Faerie will always seek to protect and nurture."

Lord Tubbington laughed.

"Did you think it was coincidence that she has a herd of over twenty young _Unicorns_ living in the woods at the bottom of her garden?"

"Well ..."drawled Kurt, "I didn't want to seem bitchy, but I always heard _Unicorns_ were only able to be near pure, innocent virgins, and Brittany has a reputation for..."

Lord Tubbington sneezed with laughter.

"That lot? Hah! _Unicorns_ are drawn to innocence, and purity of heart and loving souls, and that is something totally different from what one's body might do."

He seemed quite fierce in his defence of Brittany.

"Brittany could sleep with a hundred football teams, and she would remain the sweet, loving creature she is. Some people could never even have a sexual thought in their lives and their cold, empty souls would drive the _Unicorns_ miles away before they could even blink."

"I'm sorry... "Kurt began.

"No, I know you love her too. "Lord Tubbington nestled his head beneath Kurt's hand.

.

"Are you evading my question again Lord Tubbington? "Blaine seemed torn between amusement and annoyance.

"I'm sorry, "Lord Tubbington seemed genuinely apologetic, "the habit of several lifetimes I'm afraid."

"Well that's a clue right there, "Kurt quipped.

Lord Tubbington hesitated, and then spoke carefully.

"I really would rather not speak certain names aloud, or have them spoken. Names have power, and there's already so much magic seeping out around you two that I honestly don't know what might happen if you... 'outed me' "Lord Tubbington pleaded his case with soulful eyes.

"Well, give us some clues then, "Blaine suggested.

"You implied just before that you have known Lady Felicity, Danu, as it were, for a long time. Are you one of the 'old one's' as you put it? "Kurt asked simply.

Lord Tubbington paused.

.

"Yes"

"Would we recognise your more ...well known names if you spoke them to us? "Blaine asked.

.

"With your educations, almost certainly, "Lord Tubbington seemed secretly proud of this.

"Could you describe your most enduring personality traits? "Kurt seemed to have a hunch here and was following it.

.

"I'm known for loyalty, obedience, faithfulness and ...a bit of mischief now and then."

"When we were over at Brittany's, you seemed very well acquainted with the story of the Shakespeare's and their wishes, did you ever meet them personally? "

.

"No, I wish I had, "Lord Tubbington said, "But they did meet one or two of my friends. "

"Did they use your na..." Kurt began

.

"Yes. Is that enough now? "Lord Tubbington seemed to want to stop now.

Kurt and Blaine thought about things for a while. They agreed to postpone the rest of the talking for another time. Lord Tubbington agreed to find out more about Lady Felicity's 'death' and why Blaine and Kurt's magic was becoming so powerful. Finally they left for Westerville, dropping Lord Tubbington off at Brittany's house on the way.

.

.

As Lord Tubbington bade his farewells in the Pierce's long and overgrown driveway, Kurt bent down to whisper in his ear.

"It must have been a shock the first time Brittany and Santana brought him over for a visit and they said his name!"

Lord Tubbington winked at the young boy.

"My dear Mr Hummel, you have NO idea how many lives I lost from shock that day."


	17. Family Business

**A/N: Ok, here is a long, slightly boring but necessary bit of stuff between the last bit of stuff and the next bit of stuff.**

**If you think this scene is long, you should have seen it BEFORE I went crazy with the edit wand. Anyway - I'm still working on the next bit of the action, which WAS going to be part of this chapter, but it's turning out too long and too "bitsy" to not be given the space of its very own chapter. Hopefully I shall have it all completed soon. Warning, the next chapter will be a little darker and less fluffy than previous ones, but rest assured I shall not dive unremitting into a pit of angst. I love me some happy endings too much. Just be warned thats all.**

**Please keep up the reviews, messages etc - I feel so special when someone likes something, or better yet - comments or questions me about it.**

**Some people have asked me why I don't always spell things out for the readers. My answer is simple:**

_**I believe in you.**_

**That is, I believe that given enough time and some handy hints, everyone is capable of eventually working out riddles and secrets. People are capable of remembering previous refernces (or looking them up again) etc**

**As I've said before - I have a big habit of both foreshadowing and recalling in my writing. If you learn to spot the instances - you might enjoy the story even more! (or you might find it all too much work and go eat an apple I suppose)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not a writer on Glee, I do not work for Fox, I'm a sad, insomniac Aussie who loves words to much. It's not MY FAULT! The WORDS made me do it!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The drive from Kurt's house to Blaine's was not quite as long as the drive from Kurt's house to the Dalton Academy. Still, an eighty minute drive was no fun, usually.

The exception to that rule was, of course, if you were making the long trip with someone who you not only loved more than any other person in the world but who was also a fabulous singer with an almost limitless repertoire of music at their beck and call.

Kurt and Blaine often sang with, or to, each other as they made the now very familiar journey between their houses. On the rare occasions they needed some quiet time, one would concentrate on driving while the other sent texts to friends or checked their twitter account.

Sometimes the trip was a strain, especially if later plans involved the need for each to drive his own car. Then the trip would usually involve two sets of hands-free phone kits and a long, LONG telephone conversation while driving.

This time however, both boys were in Kurt's Navigator (Blaine's car was at Burt's garage getting serviced) and their phones were currently on the back seat 'chatting' to each other.

Blaine looked over his shoulder at his phone as it lay on the seat behind them, just touching Kurt's.

"You know, "he said, "It's times like this I wish I could hear machines speak like you can Kurt. I'd really love to know what they are saying to each other."

Kurt smiled as he concentrated on the road.

"It's nothing like your description of animal speech Blaine, "He replied. "It's more... internal I think. I don't actually HEAR anything, not even thoughts and sensations like you say animals send you. It's more like... like I'm REMEMBERING someone telling me what someone said, but in real time."

"Like reading a page of dialogue in a book or a script or something like that?"

"Exactly!"

Blaine smiled. Sometimes it was a GOOD thing to be a smart dork.

"A smart, SEXY dork Blaine!"

Blaine's smile faded a little. He looked across at Kurt who was smirking to himself as he drove.

"I totally said that last thing aloud didn't I."

Kurt's smirk grew wider and Blaine made an elaborate face-palm.

"So what ARE our phones doing Kurt? "Blaine asked once the giggles and blushing from both of the boys had subsided a little.

"They're just chatting Blaine. I think my phone is making sure that your phone is fully updated and up to scratch. It said it was worried about that time on Saturday when you lost your charger and you couldn't ring me at the usual time. I admit I may have gotten a little uptight about not being able to contact you, and now my phone wants to make sure that won't happen again."

Blaine shook his head slightly.

"Your phone has a mentor complex like ME Kurt!"

"Well, as long as your phone doesn't fall in love with his mentor like I did, we will be fine."

.

Blaine shook his head again, more vigorously this time. He could still remember a time before the rings had changed the world forever where hearing a conversation like this one would have made him edge towards a phone in order to call the mental asylum. Now he was accepting at face value the idea that two phones could fall in love.

"If our phone's hook up we are totally going to have to make sure they always leave the glove-box open when they are in there. Maybe we can get tips from your Dad Kurt?"

Kurt bit his lip to stop from laughing out loud.

"I say we let them find their own pace and just hover supportively in the background."

Blaine pouted.

"I just don't think I could handle my phone getting to third base before I do."

As he said it his face paled and he turned hurriedly to Kurt.

"Not that... I mean, I'm not trying to pressure ... Oh God, Kurt, I mean..."

Kurt laughed even more.

.

"It's OK Blaine, I know you're joking. I'm happy with the pace THAT side of our relationship is progressing, however glacially slow Santana and Puck may keep saying it is, and I know you are too."

Blaine smiled weakly and cocked an eyebrow.

"You...know? I mean, I know we can and do talk about everything. But you sound so SURE about how I feel."

Kurt smiled at him and just waved the hand he wore his ring on.

"We can feel our strong emotions through these remember. Even when we had that huge fight the other day, I could feel the anger and the hurt you were feeling through my ring, and under it all I felt this deep, strong river of pure love. No wonder Godmother pairs only fall deeper in love the closer they get."

"I wondered why you just gave in like you did. Does this mean we'll never fight again? And how come I didn't pick up on the whole river thing too?"

"Well Blaine, "Kurt began slowly, "I have no doubt we will fight and argue in the future, but maybe not as much as other couples. I also know that we will never be able to fool ourselves or each other into thinking our love is fading, so that's one pressure we won't have that others face."

Blaine smiled and took Kurt's hand to kiss his fingers.

"As for you not picking up on the emotions, "Kurt smiled gently at his friend, "Blaine dear, let's face facts here. You spent several months totally oblivious to your OWN emotions. I'm sure you'll get better with time though, and from what I was reading while we were having coffee after dropping Lord Tubbington off we're going to have a lot of time. A LOT of time."

Blaine looked across the back seat to where Kurt had thrown his messenger bag.

"I can't believe Lord Tubbington found information about Godmothers and their abilities in PAMPHLET form."

"I think he may have printed them himself, "Kurt mused, "At least he didn't make me toast to go with them."

Blaine laughed out loud.

"I sure do loves me some toast though Kurt!"

* * *

><p>.<p>

Pulling up to the Anderson's large, comfortable home was still a bit of a tense moment for Kurt. He could still recall that first, almost disastrous dinner meeting where Blaine had been so nervous, Blaine's father had been so unresponsive and Blaine's mother had almost had a nervous breakdown flitting between the three males in her dining room trying to defuse bomb after potential bomb.

Since Kurt's brilliant idea to introduce Mr Anderson to one Burt Hummel, things had improved almost unbelievably. Blaine had finally heard his father praise him. The day Mr Anderson had told Blaine that he 'really thought Kurt might become an asset to the Anderson family' Blaine had called Kurt in tears of joy, despite the slightly patronising tone of the compliment.

But this lunch date was a little different. Blaine had explained to Kurt how his parents had caught him 'dancing' in a manner that no normal human should have been able to do. Blaine didn't know exactly what his parents may have seen, or how much they suspected. He had managed to avoid them for hours as they had tried to quiz him about his Great-Grandmother and her birthday gift to him. The fact that they knew about the significance of jewellery lead Blaine to think that his father must know something about the Society of Danu, even if he didn't know the full extent of its powers.

His father had been much more comfortable talking facts and figure with his son. Although the figure of the true size of Lady Felicity's bequest was still too large for either Anderson man to fully grasp.

Kurt had finally taken the lead and told Blaine that both of them needed to talk to the Andersons, if only to find out what they knew (or thought they knew). Blaine was fairly confident that if worse came to worst he would be able to use _The Speech_ to muddle his parents' memories enough to avoid having to leave home, if not the country!

(at least you'd have a castle to live in, Kurt had quipped)

.

Kurt smoothed non-existent wrinkles from his simple but teeth achingly well made ensemble.

His charcoal grey skinny jeans and crisp white button-down shirt were accented by the bright teal vest he wore over the shirt. His grey sneakers had accents of teal in them also, while his hair was seemingly less styled than usual (an effect Blaine KNEW took at least fifteen minutes LONGER than Kurt's usual regimen.)

Blaine had been dressed by Kurt (as IF he had a choice!) in matching charcoal jeans. Although a much more relaxed cut they still accentuated his perfect ass... perfectly, Kurt thought. Blaine's simple green polo shirt also accentuated his muscles, but not too much for a lunch date with mom and dad. Blaine had been surprised that Kurt had not only suggested the simple shirt, but had known where to find the perfect fitting one at a bargain price. (yes, Kurt DID sometimes buy generic brands)

Blaine and Kurt detoured around the house so Blaine could say hi to the squirrels who lived in the tree outside his bedroom window and Kurt could give them the small bag of assorted exotic nuts and whole-grains that he thought they might find interesting.

As he and Blaine approached the back door the electronic alarm system started to beep 'excitedly'. Kurt smiled up at the control box and said hello while Blaine's eyebrows conveyed his amusement at the whole situation.

Entering the Anderson's kitchen, the boys were enveloped by the delicious smell of a large pot of soup simmering on the stove. Blaine's mother was pouring ingredients for a salad dressing into a screw-top jar while singing along to the I-pod she had set up in a dock on the bench-top.

Kurt smiled fondly as he realised that she was the parent who had contributed Blaine's genetic predisposition to singing and dancing (and curly hair). She turned around as she heard the door beeping and rushed into her son's outstretched arms, still holding the jar. Kurt braced himself for what was about to come as, sure enough, after thoroughly squeezing her son she turned to Kurt and he found himself wrapped in the arms of a short, curly haired Asian woman who smelled of equal parts flour, olive oil and Chanel Number Five.

"Oh Kurt! "She beamed at him, "You look amazing. I thought I still had a few minutes to change before you arrived. What must you think? I'm sure I look a mess."

"Don't you dare change Mrs Anderson, "Kurt subconsciously smoothed out his imaginary wrinkles again, "You are always the picture of warmth and charm."

"Oh dear, "She giggled and blushed, "Blaine, if I haven't already said it. This one is a keeper."

"I know Mom, I know. I'm not planning on ever letting him get away. "

Blaine's mother paused for a split second. Neither boy noticed her eyes fill with tears and a faint worry. Nor did they notice her eyes widen suddenly.

The moment passed. Blaine and Kurt ran upstairs to 'freshen up' while Mrs Anderson set the table. About five minutes later Mr Anderson joined his family and their guest in the dining room and they shared a simple but delicious meal together. Conversation during dinner was light and inconsequential, but everyone at the table seemed to sense an impending cloud begin to descend on the group as the meal drew to an end.

.

.

.

Blaine and Kurt offered to clear the dishes while Mrs Anderson and her husband made coffee for everyone and took them outside to the covered entertainment area near their pool. Blaine and Kurt joined them there a few minutes later. Each member of the group stared uncomfortably at the others, until finally Mr Anderson spoke.

"Blaine, Kurt, "he began, "What I'm about to say to you may sound like the delusions of a mad man, but I'd be very grateful if you would hear me out before rushing off to call a Doctor. Ok?"

Blaine and Kurt exchanged a look and some rapid 'eyebrow speak'.

"Blaine, I assume you've told Kurt about the death of your Great-Grandmother, and your inheritance, but what I need to talk to you about is... it's about our family and ...well,..."

Mr Anderson's normally polished way of speaking seemed to have deserted him. He flailed around for a few seconds, and then seemed to find a way in.

"Blaine, Kurt ...have you seen the Godfather trilogy?"

Kurt almost spat his coffee across the table at the non sequitur. Blaine just made his eyebrows even pointier.

"For a long time, a very long time boys, our family has been at the heart of an ancient and influential ...secret society. A little like the Illuminati or the Freemasons if you will, but ...um ...different too."

"Is my name really Blaine Corleone? "Blaine joked in an effort to release some of the tension building up around the table.

"This Society has purely altruistic aims Blaine, but it also has access to influence and resources that most governments of the world could only dream about. The membership is open only to people descended from the original founders, which is a lot of people actually. Membership of the true Society is by invitation only, and there are stringent tests applied to potential candidates before an offer is made."

Blaine felt he needed to ask something.

"Dad, are you a member?"

His father blushed and looked slightly embarrassed.

"No, no I'm not. I was approached and evaluated when I was younger, but found lacking I'm ashamed to say. At the time I didn't understand what I had missed out on, but now..."

"How do you know so much if you were never invited to join? "Blaine asked.

"Because I am a direct descendant of the Founders. Our family line is the central core, the heart of the Society Blaine, and so I learned a little more about things than a normal potential member could."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other again. They still had no idea how far exactly Blaine's father's knowledge reached.

"Members of the Society wield incredible power and influence in the world Blaine. Not just political or financial power either. I know this may sound crazy but some of them come to possess ...um ...what could be ...no, I mean ...they seem to be able to ..."

Mrs Anderson took his hands in her own and smiled at her son and his boyfriend.

.

"John dear, "she said gently, "I think it's time I came clean about a few things too."

Everyone stared at her in shock. Mrs Anderson reached out and took Kurt's left hand in her hands.

"I see you and Blaine have already put the rings on my dear, "she smiled reassuringly at them, "so tell me, what powers did you wish for?"

.

.

The silence which greeted her statement had an almost physical presence.

"Elaine? How ..."Mr Anderson seemed confused.

"Your father only had a vague idea about the Society and its magic, "Elaine Anderson explained. "He didn't know that I am well acquainted with the wonders of Godmother magic. I've explained a lot to him over the past day or so."

Blaine stared at his mother.

"What? I mean... Mom?"

"The Society was founded by the Sidhe Goddess Danu, "she began, stopping when she realised that this was not news to either of the young men.

"Well, Danu was not the only Fae creature to contribute a bloodline to the group, even if it is the central one. "She smiled at her son. "Do you remember me taking you to that village in the mountains when we visited my Filipino family when you were about five Blaine?"

Blaine had vague memories of the trip.

"I can remember meeting an old Chinese man with a really long white beard, "He said with an uncertain air.

Mrs Anderson nodded. "Of course you would remember him. He is your Grandpa Pang, my great-grandfather. "

Blaine and Kurt were still not clear what significance this held for them.

"Grandpa Pang is a Chinese Water Dragon. One of the other founding members of the Society."

Blaine blinked.

For the next couple of hours Mr Anderson discussed finances and legal requirements. Mrs Anderson explained to her son and Kurt that her own parents were 'Godmothers'. She also explained, much to Mr Anderson's embarrassment, that when she was younger she had decided not to accept an offer of membership herself after John Anderson had been rejected.

"I was already in love with him by then, and love is the most important magic of all!"

As the boys got ready to return to Lima, Blaine's father took him aside.

"Son, I know I've apologised for the way I treated you in the years since you told us about your sexuality. I also know that nothing can ever excuse how much I hurt you, but do you understand a little now about why I was so afraid of you being gay?"

Blaine looked at his father in confusion.

"No Dad, I'm sorry but I still don't see..."

"We lost so many of our bloodline during the World Wars Blaine. Wherever the suffering and danger was greatest that's where they would be. You and I are the last ones left Blaine. Your uncle's cancer scare a few years back means he can't have kids anymore. You are the last one Blaine. When you said you were gay, I guess I just panicked. Thousands of generations would end because of me, I thought, because I did something wrong."

Blaine's face tightened.

"Oh no son, I know I was wrong. I know that it's just how you are. I also know now that it's not something to be ashamed of, it's you, and I love and celebrate you."

John Anderson hugged his son.

"I'm so glad you and Kurt have found each other. He loves you Blaine. You deserve to be loved. I wish I could have back all those years I wasted trying to change you, because now that I see you for who you are, I'm so very proud of you."

Blaine hugged his Dad back.

As they looked over to Kurt and Mrs Anderson they saw Kurt suddenly transform into his Burmese Cat form.

"Kurt certainly is a very special person, "Mr Anderson said wryly.


	18. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

**A/N: OK, I tried to sleep, but I couldn't so it's now 3.44 AM here and I've finally torn Grendel's arm off. (there's a classic epic sage ref there for those who know their folkore - not that awful movie version either)**

**As I warned previously - this chapter is a bit darker and scarier than the preceeding ...um ...lots. Not as dark as some of course - it IS still meant to be fairy tale you know.**

**If it does happen to all get too much for anyone, be comforted by the fact that my plot bunny has vouchsafed me a single glimpse of one person from this chapter's future and let's just say - the wishes ALWAYS work, just not always in the way you might expect. Plus, for anyone who hasn't guessed by now, the boy's powers get stronger when... hmm, on second thought, I might put that little titbit of information into one of the chapters proper! ;P**

**Reviews as always are lovely, esp those one's that show people have thought about stuff. I hope the format of this chapter isn't too bitsy, it's been a chore trying to sort it out and attempt to make it cinematic.  
><strong>

**At the moment nothing is in my head with regard to the next immediate chapter, but that will probably change by tomorrow. I just need to sleep on it. HEAR THAT ID? SLEEP!**

_**Disclaimer: I am not trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. If I did decide to infringe, I would also add some sequins and a nice contrasting belt after sewing the infringe on.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.  
>On the drive back to Lima Kurt and Blaine discussed their new found knowledge. Lord Tubbington's pamphlets had been helpful, but actually being able to speak to someone who had grown up around Godmothers made all the difference.<p>

They understood now about what their life expectancy might be. Mrs Anderson had told them that some Godmother pairs had lived three or even four times as long as might have been expected. She was a little confused about their rings however, since every ring she had ever seen before theirs had been a plain silver band, much like theirs had been before they out them on.

As they got closer to Lima the sun began to set. It was going to be a cooler night tonight. The forecast had been for a cold front to move across the area.

They discussed whether or not they should tell Burt and Carole about the whole 'Godmother' business. In the end they realised that there was just no way to even introduce the subject without Burt feeling the need to get both of them some serious psychiatric counselling.

"I guess we'll just have to go on making sure no one in your family has any reason to suspect anything Kurt."

"Seems like a plan, "Kurt replied.

.

.

They pulled into Kurt's driveway to see Burt and Finn busily trimming some of the plants along the fence line. The sun was setting and the sky was a soft golden colour. Across the road Mrs Wilson's twelve year old son was wrestling their lawn mower up and down the footpath. It was a typical June afternoon.

Kurt parked his car in his spot and walked over to hug his dad. Blaine followed close behind and he greeted Finn whose face was creased in concentration as he tried to trim the top of the hedge perfectly straight.

Just as Kurt pulled away from Burt there was a sharp CLANG from across the road and some pebbles on the footpath were struck by the whirling blades of Mrs Wilson's mower. Three rocks flew across the street at almost bullet-like speed. Without thinking Blaine leapt in front of everyone else and neatly caught all three, the last one only inches from Burt Hummel's right eye.

Burt looked at Blaine who was clutching the three rocks in his hand and looking ashen. Across the road Mrs Wilson's son continued oblivious to the near miss. Kurt smiled at his father and tried to distract him, but Burt would not be dissuaded.

"Blaine, son, "He began laconically, "Would you care to explain how the hell you managed to do that?"

Blaine was at a loss for words.

Fin turned around from where he had been cutting the hedge, a puzzled expression on his face. Kurt looked pointedly at his father's face and then rolled his eyes towards Finn.

'Finn buddy, I think we might give it a rest till tomorrow, why don't you go hit the showers OK? "Burt smiled fixedly at his stepson.

A few minutes later Blaine and Kurt were sitting on the sofa while Burt sat in his armchair facing them. Kurt reached out to take Blaine's hand and discovered that Blaine still had the three pebbles in his palm. Kurt took them and absentmindedly dropped them into his shirt pocket. The two boys stared silently at Burt while he stared back.

"Ok Kiddo, "Burt began by fixing a steely look at his son, "What is going on then?"

"What do you mean...?"

"Don't try to stall me Kurt. I mean what is going on with you and Blaine? How did he catch those rocks? I mean, one could be a lucky fluke, but he caught all three. And what the hell have you done to the appliances in this house? The TV changes channels by itself you know. Last night it wouldn't let me watch my basketball game until Finn, FINN, convinced it that you were out for the night. Even then I discovered it has recorded that Top Model show you two love so much, without anyone programming it!"

Kurt couldn't help himself. He looked at the TV in the corner and smiled and mouthed 'thank you'.

Burt shook his head.

"At first I was afraid you guys were getting into drugs or something, "he said, "Or maybe getting into... things, with each other... that sort of thing. But now I just don't know what to think. So I want some answers and I want them now. Full answers, no lying, no beating round the bush, just straight answers."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave needed to get out of the house.

He had almost told his dad tonight.

Almost.

As Dave sat on his back steps massaging Dog's muscular shoulders he discussed his problems.

"I just don't have the courage to do it Dog, "He said quietly, "What if he hates me?"

/**PACK STRONG**/_sense of running with a pack_/**DAVE STRONG**/_adoration, love_ /**DAVE'S SIRE KIND**/_image of Paul Karofsky sneaking the dog an extra treat and a pat_/**SIRE LOVE DAVE**/

Dave sighed and buried his face in Dog's shaggy fur.

"Hey buddy, want to go for a run in the park?"

/**RUN!**/_wind in the trees, grass under paws_/**LOVE DAVE LOVE LOVE**/

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Steffi was feeling unwell. Her back ached, her feet ached, the tap dancer she had swallowed about eight months ago was practicing on her bladder again...

"Hey Pete, "she called out quietly, "Can we make one last run to the bathroom for the night?"

She and Pete began to exit the old building towards the park and its basic but still relatively clean facilities. As they left the building they heard the sounds of bottles breaking and loud make voices echoing from across the dark wooded grassland of the park.

"On second thought, "Steffi whispered to her friend, "I think I feel like using the old emergency bucket tonight after all!"

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Carole Hudson-Hummel was in trouble.

First she leaves her work meeting later than she had planned, so now it's dark and beginning to cloud over.

Then her rear tyre blows out after she runs over a broken bottle someone had thrown into the road near the large park that ran all the way to the industrial part of town.

Finally she discovers that she can't undo the wheel lugs on her tyre because whoever Burt got to rotate and check her tyres last time her car was serviced used the machine to tighten them and no human hand can match that strength.

She reached into her purse for her phone to call Burt. Carole heard a noise behind her

"Hey Honey, Need a helping hand? "The words were friendly, but the voice did not sound nice at all.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Luckily Finn stayed up in his room playing _Call of Duty_.

Blaine and Kurt walked Burt through the events of the past couple of weeks and watched as disbelief gave way on his face to a sense of worry and concern.

"Dad, believe me, we are not crazy, "Kurt insisted.

Burt looked down at their hands. He was sure they hadn't been wearing rings before, he would have noticed. He would definitely have noticed if his son had bought a ring like that. He was no expert in jewellery but even if the metal was cheap and the gems fake, costume jewellery like that still ran into the thousands of dollars. And Burt had a real sinking feeling that those rings were the real deal (and he was not just meaning in terms of monetary value either).

Burt had always thought he'd have a few years to adjust before Kurt found another gay boy, let alone finding a boyfriend. The thought of a more serious commitment should have been YEARS away, but as he looked at the rings on the boys' hands and looked at the shining love reflected off each other's face, he had a flash of memory. He remembered seeing the same look on Kurt's mother's face when she was only a few month older than Kurt is now. Burt shook his head, he wished Carole was home, he needed her to talk these things through with him.

.

Actually, she was very late.

"Boys, you haven't heard from Carole tonight have you?"

Blaine and Kurt looked at him with surprise. Just as they did so Kurt, Blaine and Burt simultaneously felt and heard their phones let out a mighty squawk and vibrate vigorously. A few seconds later Finn's voice called from upstairs.

"Hey guys, now my phone is going crazy. What's going on?"

Kurt was staring at his phone... listening.

He looked up, his face pale and lips white.

.

"Carole's phone just shouted for help. She's in danger."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Carole turned to see a group of seven or eight rough looking men walking out of the darkness of the park towards her. She stared at them as she tried to surreptitiously unlock her phone.

"Hey, you're that little fag's mother! I've seen you at the mall. What's the matter honey, couldn't your old man give you enough to make a proper boy?"

Carole bit the inside of her lip and tried to think. Under her breath she muttered to herself.

"Call for help, just call for help. Come on Carole, just do it."

As she started to dial Burt's number one of the men knocked the phone from her hand and grabbed her arm violently.

"It's OK honey, "his breath reeked of booze, "We're all friends here."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Burt sat helplessly as Kurt and Blaine seemed to spring into action. Blaine ran upstairs (he was literally a blur to Burt's eyes) and changed into black sweat pants and a long sleeved black sweater. Kurt had suggested that remaining unseen by the public would be easier.

While Blaine was changing Kurt was setting up his laptop and lining all their phones up next to it. Finn came down to see what the fuss was about and his phone was also lined up.

Burt and Finn sat in confusion as Kurt proceeded to TALK to all the electronic devices before him. They were even more confused when all four phones began to make strange beeping and buzzing noises and a map of the local phone tower grid appeared on the laptop screen.

"I need more resolution! "Kurt muttered to himself.

"YOU! "He said pointing at the plasma screen, "switch on and tune in to the signal from my laptop."

Finn gasped as the TV set obeyed and a large map of Lima appeared on the screen.

In a few seconds Kurt and his 'friends' had narrowed down the source of the distress signal to one of three towers near the industrial parklands. By this time Blaine had returned downstairs looking like a ninja hobbit.

.

"I don't understand, "said Finn, "How did mom call for help on all our phones at the same time?"

"She didn't, "Kurt snapped as he returned Blaine's phone to him, "Her phone called its friends on its own initiative."

Finn seemed even more confused now.

"Just build a bridge Finn! "Kurt snapped.

.

"Dad, Blaine and I are going to go find her, OK?" Kurt had entered that state of almost emotionless calm which he could conjure from nothing during an emergency. At times like this he needed to be able to function without giving in to the overwhelming emotions he was feeling.

"Call 911, tell them Carol rang you from near the parklands below Lima Heights and she said she was in trouble and then got cut off, it's not exactly a lie, really."

.

Kurt was opening the door to the back yard and the four of them found themselves standing in the darkness. Blaine in his ninja outfit was almost invisible.

"I'll get the car and..." Burt began.

"Blaine and I can get there faster than you can Dad, "Kurt smiled and touched his arm reassuringly. "We can get there faster than the police can. We need you to stay here and be ready to call Blaine if Carol calls back."

"Why Blaine? What about you Kurt? "Burt was worried about his son now too.

"I might not have a free hand to answer my phone with Dad. "

.

With that Kurt turned to Blaine, whispered a quick 'Love you' and kissed him fiercely. Then he turned and smiled at his stepbrother and father.

"I know you have had a hard time believing our story Dad, so here's some proof. Hold on to your hat Finn!"

As Kurt turned to face the open back yard he began to run, a few seconds later a huge snowy owl lifted off from where the young boy had been running and flew around above their heads for a second or two. Then it hooted loudly and headed in the direction of Carole's distress call.

"Whoa, COOL!" was Finn's only response.

.

."Don't worry Mr Hummel, we'll find her and rescue her, "Blaine was a barely visible blur in the dark clothing he was wearing. With that Blaine turned to face the direction the owl had flown. He raised his hands above his head and sent out a silent call.

Seconds later several passing bats flew closer to the house and fluttered above the men.

"Spread the word, the big park, Kurt's stepmom is in trouble, spread the word, and send for help." Blaine murmured low and urgently.

He winked at Finn and took off at a run, clearing the eight foot high back fence in a single leap, his speed already making him a blur.

Finn looked and Burt in shock.

"Don't ask Finn, just... don't ask."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Carole was terrified.

The men had yet to harm her, but they had smashed the windows and tail lights of her car and stolen her purse.

Now they were drinking even more, and the talk was starting to get nasty.

Then one of them hit her.

She couldn't help herself. She screamed and tried to run.

As the men moved in she heard a deep, forceful, male voice... in her HEAD?

.

/**RUN HERE!**/_she knew which direction he meant_/**HELP HERE, PACK HERE**/_feeling of safety and comfort_/**LEADER STRONG**/_a face she thought she should recognise_/**RUN NOW NOW!**/

.

Carole ran towards the voice.

.

As Carole ran through the darkened park she wondered to herself if she had just signed her own death warrant. Everything she remembered from various self-defence classes and neighbourhood watch meetings said that she had to stay in well lit, public areas near the roads. Yet here she was running into the darkness of an unknown park all because a voice in her head...

She heard the men chasing after her. She heard some of them trying to start her car. She ran faster.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt could feel the wind through his feathers and beneath his wings.

The land beneath him was almost like daytime. He had thought the cat's night vision was amazing, but this...

He could hear every sound too. He spotted a squirrel in the crook of a tree and for a second was tempted to swoop down and...

Concentrate Hummel! He berated himself.

He heard noises from...THERE! Looking over he saw a group of men, two groups. One of the groups was running into the park towards him, the others were... that was Carole's car!

Owl!Kurt frowned and flew faster. Someone was going DOWN for this.

* * *

><p>.<br>.

Blaine ran through the darkness. His eyes weren't as sensitive as an owls, but the bats flew with him and guided him as he ran blind. He leapt fences and culverts. Ran across rooftops and parked cars. It was about ten miles in a straight line to the park from Kurt's house, Blaine suspected he would do the distance in about five or six minutes.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Carole let out a small scream as she ran into a large male body in the darkness. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could make out that she was in a children's playground area. Swings and slides, even a seesaw.

"Mrs Hudson? "asked a gruff but still young voice, "Quick, hide in here!"

The owner of the voice pushed her towards a large concrete sewer pipe half buried in the earth. A perfect place for a child to play a game of hide and seek, but not exactly what she needed now.

Still, beggars can't be choosers she thought with what was left of her rational mind.

.

"I'll try to head them off, crawl to the other end and if they get past us, follow the path to your right and you'll wind up near my house, just bang on the door, my dad is home."

Us? She thought, who is us?

.

Carole crawled into the cool dampness of the pipe and shuddered with withheld sobs.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt could see some sort of activity around what looked like a children's playground.

The large figure of a man was face down near the entrance to a concrete pipe. Standing over him was a ferocious dog. It was BLAINE'S dog, the one they had given to...

Kurt suddenly recognised the figure on the ground. There was a lot of blood around and under it.

Four men armed with chains and sticks were trying to score a blow on the dog as it defended its master. Kurt's owl eyes narrowed with anger.

Then he heard it.

Faint, so faint, from INSIDE the pipe. Carole's voice, sobbing. She was inside the pipe! Safe inside the pipe which Karofsky had blocked with the only thing he had available, his own body.

Kurt dove towards the ground and the men who were even now trying to hurt the people he cared for.

JUST NO MORE!

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dog was frantically trying to avoid the blows from the bad men, while simultaneously trying to prevent them from getting closer to his pack leader.

Dave and Dog had fought bravely, but the large teen would have been no match for four armed men even if he hadn't been still suffering from the injuries inflicted by his so called friends.

Dog was 'shouting' at the men as they attacked.

.

At first the fact the men understood his shouts seemed to deter them, but now they must have decided that it was all just brought on by the booze or something.

As Dog felt yet another blow from a torn off fence paling brush his side he sensed a rush of movement from above and behind him.

From the corner of his eye he saw a huge snowy white owl streaking down silently from the sky.

As it approached the earth it shimmered and changed and suddenly...

Dog blinked in surprise.

The drunken thugs paused in their attack and some of them screamed in terror.

Standing before them, raised up on its back legs was a young, but very VERY large Grizzly Bear.

The bear roared at the men and a massive paw swept out.

THUD

.

The drunk's unconscious body slid down the tree he had been thrown into, almost ten feet away from where he had been standing.

One of the drunks whirled a long chain around his head and struck the bear on its arm and flank.

The bear roared with pain and looked at the dog for a second.

Dog looked back, he knew those eyes.

.  
>**PACK STANDS**/_bravery, hope_/**LETS FINISH THIS**/

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The drunks didn't really stand a chance, until the rest of them drove Carole's car through the playground and sent the bear flying through the air like a child's toy.

The bear stood and growled at the remaining foes.

The car revved its engine and headed for the bear.

Kurt glared at the car and roared at it.

The engine stalled and the electrics of the car switched off, leaving the area in darkness again.

.

.

Then an angry SpideyBlaine arrived. With a cloud of angry bats.

.

The three defenders (and their aerial support) made short work of the remaining thugs. Carole watched in shock as Blaine grabbed the door of her battered and broken car and... TORE IT OFF?

Then he grabbed the two men inside the car and threw them into the trees.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

As the sounds of approaching sirens became louder Carole hugged Kurt (now back in his own body) tightly to her.

Kurt winced in pain as that action aggravated the injuries to his chest and arm.

Blaine sat with his arm over Carole's shoulder and his other arm across Dog's furry back.

"We need to check on Dave, "Blaine said, moving over to the still form lying in the pool of blood.

"He wouldn't let them past, "Carole whispered, "He wouldn't let them past. Even when they were hurting him and he was screaming with pain he just wedged himself in the end of the pipe..."

Her eyes filled with tears.

.

"He has a pulse, "Blaine called, but it's really weak, I don't know if ..."

Kurt rushed over to Blaine and knelt next to him.

"We have to be able to do something Blaine, we have to!"

"I just don't know... "Blaine froze, "He's stopped breathing, Kurt!"

.

Kurt rolled the injured Karofsky onto his back and checked and cleared his airways. Blaine felt his chest, wincing at the sensation of broken ribs beneath his fingers. He began chest compressions anyway, there was no other alternative. Kurt began mouth to mouth, muttering in between breaths.

.

"Come on you stupid Neanderthal, You've been dying to kiss me again for months, wake up and do it properly!"

.

Carole hugged Dog to her and tried to answer his confused questions. After what she had seen tonight a talking dog was nothing special.

.

"Kurt, it's no good..." Blaine began.

'NO!" Kurt paused, "I have an idea!"

.

He reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet out. A second later he held up one of the gold coins.

Blaine nodded. "It might work, but how do we word it?"

Kurt didn't try to plan, he just spoke from his heart.

.

"I just wish he would LIVE, that's my wish, let Dave Karofsky heal, let him live, let him get better, let him find love and a have a good life, but for now, just let him LIVE!"

.

The coin vanished from his palm.

The police and ambulance officers rushed into the area, flooding the area with light.

.

Dave Karofsky coughed slightly and let out a very faint, very pain filled groan.


	19. While you were sleeping

**A/N: I know, I know - no update for days and then three at once (well...nearly) - there might even be more, it will depend on whether my lack of sleep makes the hallucinations I'm already having worse. At least my imaginary friends like me (a little bit)**  
><strong>This one came out all in a rush, and pretty much preformatted. Just a bit of a tidy was required. YAY.<strong>

**Hopefully the various bits and scene/voice changes will make sense to you, if they don't, um ...yeah, ...bummer I suppose, huh.**

**I was all excited about my reviews and messages etc, and then I saw that CP Coulter had FINALLY updated and I was bouncing all over the room. One day, when I grow up, I want my stories to be even half as popular as hers.**

**Meh, who am I kidding, I NEVER want to grow up!**

**(_Dalton_ is an awesome achievement though, isn't it!)**

**I hope this isn't too angsty for people. But please trust me (even though I really have only the vaguest of clues from my inner plot bunny about what's going to happen) - only a few more chapters and I can sense the approach of lovely fluffy fluff...um ...stuff. :P**

_**DISCLAIMER: I'm not Ryan Murphy. (I have more hair though, just not his talent, sigh) Please enjoy this for what it is, fun (and review if you can, it's helping me get better at it, or at least faster)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

...silence ...sirens... voices, so many voices...a man was speaking ..."ETA fourteen minutes patient still unconscious, BP is..."...silence... traffic, horns ... sirens? Police or Ambulance? Or...silence ... maybe Fire engines? ...silence ...tearing noises, duct tape! That's duct ...moving, I'm moving ...more voices, a woman crying ... KURT! Kurt's voice ... slamming doors ...trolley wheels ...silence ...humming ...machinery ...a woman crying, the same woman? ...why is it dark? ...silence ...beep ...beep ...is she still crying? ...beep ...why is it dark? ...silence ...beep ...I hope she's not still crying ...PAIN ...silence ... sleepy, no pain ...beep ...no-one should have to cry in the dark ...silence... I ...who? ...silence...  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Kurt Hummel hated hospitals.  
>They were boring. They smelled.<br>Everyone in them was either sick, or worried or busy or all three.  
>They never told you anything.<br>The beds were uncomfortable. The sheets were... (ugh shudder).  
>.<p>

...They took your Mom away.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Deputy Ernie Lihael usually liked his job. He liked being able to find the bad guys and lock them up. He liked being respected by the upstanding citizens of Lima. What he did not like were mysteries. This business in the park was getting to him. First that real nice lady, Mrs Hummel? Hudson? Hudmel?... something, first she almost gets ...yeah, let's not go there, by some lowlifes in the park. Then, those same lowlifes get the cra...the heck beaten out of them by person or persons unknown.

Those guys must have been on drugs as well as being drunk. How was he supposed to believe they had been attacked by a flying Grizzly Bear for heaven's sake? And a talking dog? And as for those guys who claimed that short kid had torn the door off an SUV and then thrown them, one handed mind, over twenty feet into the branches of a tree? No, no way! And what was with that kid anyway? All dressed in black, like some sort of ninja or cat burglar.

At first Ernie had thought maybe he was either going to or coming from a night of breaking and entering, but no cat burglar wears an Armani suit trouser to go on a crime spree in (Ernie's cousin Enzo owned a tux rental place, Ernie knew his men's fashion).

Then there was that freaky Kurt kid with the high voice. He looked like a middle-schooler, and those eyes were just ...eerie. He seemed so soft and delicate, but when Ernie had tried to get that Karofsky kid cuffed to his bed (he had a record after all), that Kurt kid had just... Ernie didn't want to remember the look in those eyes. He was the scariest one of the lot of them.

The stories of the sober people were all checking out though. Turns out that Karofsky kid had been a real hero. Shame it looked like the kid probably wouldn't make it.  
>.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Just as the tension level at the hospital was beginning to plateau, Burt Hummel arrived with Finn in tow. Deputy Lihael recognised him immediately. He was an old poker buddy of his cousin's, not to mention one of the best mechanics in Ohio. Carole flew to Burt's arms and sobbed quietly into his chest. Her injuries were minor, thank God. A couple of stitches to fix a cut on her forehead and some painkillers for her strained shoulder.

Blaine too was almost unscathed, although he did have several scratches and cuts to his hands. He had told the medical staff it was probably from all the broken glass and metal at the scene, and they couldn't really find an argument against him.

Blaine was currently sitting in the waiting room looking after ...a large black dog?  
>.<p>

The staff had attempted to keep the animal out of the waiting area, but Blaine and Kurt had joined forces to argue his case and ...let's just say, NO-ONE can stand up to them when acting in concert.

Kurt's injuries were more severe. He had a quite nasty gash to his head, which had required eleven stiches, but thankfully he hadn't needed to cut his hair or anything. His right arm and chest were badly bruised. It looked like a chain had struck him repeatedly, but luckily no bones were broken. He also had some nasty bruises to his back and legs, from where he had jumped to avoid the stolen SUV he said (and Deputy Lihael could find no reason to doubt his story).

Burt and Carole went to check on Kurt who was still being examined by the duty surgeon. Finn offered to look after the dog so that Blaine could see his boyfriend too. With a grateful smile Blaine hurried after them.

Finn sat down and looked at the dog. Hey! He was injured too. The dog looked back at Finn.

/**DAVE?**/_fear, worry, love, sadness_/**DAVE HURT**/_sad sad sad_/**LOVE DAVE**/_feeling of isolation and loneliness_/**DAVE SIRE?**/_image of Paul Karofsky_/**DAVE NEED SIRE**/_confidence_/**PACK STAY TOGETHER**/

Finn blinked. Wow, a talking dog.

.

"Don't worry... um ...dude, "He said quietly, "I'll ask someone if they've called Dave's dad, ok?"

The dog just rested his head on Finn's knee and sighed gratefully.  
>.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

...beep... voices murmuring...so dark...silence ...I can't feel my legs...beep ...so tired ...squeeze? ...silence... no tears, no crying, that's good ...beep... squeeze? ...squeeze what?...I can't feel my hands ...silence ...DAD! I hear you, I hear you Da...silence...

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Paul Karofsky sat beside his son's bed in the ICU and prayed.

The call that had woken him from a fitful sleep had been shocking and disturbing but...not as unexpected as it might have been.

Paul had been worried about his son for a long time now.

He arrived at the hospital dressed impeccably, as always, in his business suit (although the signs of haste were there, he had mismatched socks for a start)

Expecting to hear from the police that his son had been arrested again for brawling, he was shocked when Deputy Lihael had explained that Dave was, in fact, the victim.  
>Moreover, Dave Karofsky was the hero.<br>Burt and Carole came over him soon after and Carole gave Paul an edited (highly edited, especially the later bits) version of the evening's events.

.

His David had... Paul's eyes filled with tears. His son was a hero, a real life, honest to God hero.

Now he just needed to live.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Nobody will tell me anything Blaine! "Kurt hissed as he moved incautiously and his bruised ribs flared.

"Dave's dad is here now Kurt, so maybe he'll get some news and we can ask him."

Blaine reached out and held Kurt's hand.

"I was so scared when I saw you get hit by Carole's car Kurt, I almost died of fright."

"I didn't feel it at the time Blaine, "Kurt squeezed his hand gently, "Luckily Grizzly Bears are big and well padded."

"Did you know you could do that Kurt? Turn into a bear?"

"To be honest, I wasn't thinking at all. I just needed a shape that would protect Carole. I almost fainted when I stood up and realised I was more than nine feet tall with three inch claws! I think for a second I may have been more scared of me than those thugs were."

Blaine leant over and carefully kissed Kurt.

"My brave little baby bear."

Kurt's eyebrow registered his disdain for the nickname.

"I was wrong calling you SpideyBlaine you know..."

Blaine also raised a brow.

"...after all, you came to my rescue tonight as ...Batman!"

Blaine giggled and kissed him again.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

...silence ...beep ...dark, always dark ...silence...  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Kurt wound up having to stay in hospital overnight. Possibly longer. The Doctors would have to decide after they saw him the next afternoon. They expected it might be a few days due to the placement of his chest injuries.

.

When Kurt awoke the next morning he discovered Blaine sleeping in the chair near his bed. As if feeling Kurt's gaze Blaine woke up too and smiled blearily at Kurt.

"Good Morning my love."

"Blaine! What the hell? Do NOT tell me you stayed the night here. How on earth did they let you?"

"I can be very persuasive, remember Kurt?"

Kurt glared at his boyfriend, then relented and held his arms out for a hug.

"Just be gentle, I swear my ribs were better last night. Did a mob of truckers run through here while I was asleep and dance on my chest?"

Blaine grinned and hugged him.

"Before I settled down last night I ran into Dave's father in the cafeteria. Dave's stable now, but he's in a coma still."

.

Kurt was visibly upset.

"Why hasn't that wish worked? What did I do wrong?"

"Kurt! Honey! It did work, remember. Dave stopped breathing. His heart stopped Kurt. I felt it stop. Your wish brought him back. He's alive again because you wished him to live."

"So now what? He spends the rest of his life as a vegetable? What sort of wish is..."

"Kurt, he's alive. He's stable. He's in a hospital filled with men and women who have dedicated their lives to healing others. He has a chance. He's young and strong and has so much to live for. He'll make it."

.

Kurt sighed and held Blaine in his arms.

"Does he? Does he have something to live for? He was in such a dark place before this Blaine. What if he forgets that he was on the verge of changing, growing, becoming better? What if he gets lost in the dark and wants to give in?"

Blaine stared into Kurt's shimmering eyes and marvelled, as he always did, at how much love the slender boy could hold inside him.

.

"Then we'll help him remember. All of us, his Dad, you, me, even Finn. "

"He must never be left alone Blaine. I ...I FEEL that's important. He mustn't be left alone. He needs to know we're here waiting for him."

.

Kurt was suddenly more animated and organised. Blaine loved how his boyfriend could shift so dramatically without even pausing for breath.

"We need to call people. Organise a roster. This is important Blaine, I know it is."

.

Blaine shook his head in amusement. After everything that had happened since he opened the box and took out the rings, he wasn't going to scoff at anything.

"Where's my phone? "Kurt called out slightly louder than he had been speaking.

His phone gave a loud chirp from where it lay inside the top drawer of the bedside table. Reaching for it Kurt started composing text messages and creating a mailing list.

"We'll need as many people as we can get to cover twenty four hours. Plus, Blaine, I am relying on you to smooth things over with the staff here. If necessary I could probably manage a forged official email or two, but I'd rather use that as a last resort."

.

Blaine nodded his assent immediately.

"I'm asking those Warblers who haven't left the state if they could lend a hand too. Besides, it will give you and me a chance to catch up with them over summer as well."

Kurt hit send.

.

"I've just told everyone to meet us here after lunch. I'm pretty sure the Doctors are going to keep me in here until Wednesday, so I'm going to use this room as the central planning location."

.

Blaine imagined Kurt wearing an army uniform, with General's stars on his shoulders, hmm, or maybe an Admiral's whites? Ooh yes, Kurt would so rock that look.

"Blaine! Are you even listening to me? I want you to go down and check on him now. Give Mr Karofsky a chance to go get a shower or a nap or something."

"What should I do with Dave Kurt? What did you do when your Dad was..." Blaine stopped before he upset Kurt.

"Sing to him. Talk to him. Tell him about the news. Hold his hand. Stroke his hair. Just let him know someone is in the room. That he's not alone."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

...beep ...Dad? ...silence ...so tired ...**Dad!** ...Dad? ...silence... beep ... ... ... ... ...daddy? ...silence...  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It took the full power of _The Speech_ to convince Paul Karofsky to go home and shower and rest. The only moment Paul was not thinking of his son was when he asked Blaine if he knew what had happened to Dave's dog. Blaine was able to tell him that Burt and Finn had taken the dog home. He didn't tell him that Carole and Finn had sat in the back seat of Burt's truck with the dog between them, comforting the poor creature as he finally allowed himself to succumb to his worry and fright.

Blaine sat at Karofsky's bedside and looked at the shattered body lying there.

For a big guy Dave suddenly looked... so small and fragile.

Blaine reached his hand out and gently touched Dave's bruised and scarred fingers.

"Dave, it's Blaine here. You know, Kurt's hobbit? We're all rooting for you Dave. You take the time you need to heal, and then you come back to us, OK? Or Kurt will get mad at you, and we all know that is NOTHING to take lightly."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

...silence ...beep ...so alone ...I FEEL MY FINGER! ...who is that? ...beep ...so tired ...so... so dark...silence...  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Everyone on Kurt's email list had responded, although not all of them were able to get to the hospital at such short notice. All the teens had heard or read about the violence in the park the night before and had bombarded Kurt with questions and worried looks.

Finally Kurt managed to relate the 'de-magicked' cover story the Hudson/Hummel/Hobbit Clan had decided on.

(Blaine had included himself in the H names and made Kurt's ribs even more sore)

.

"...and now Dave Karofsky is just lying there in that bed and no-one knows when or if he'll wake up. Now most of you remember what it was like when my Dad was in a coma, I know you Warbler's don't understand, but let me just say... It. Was. Bad."

Kurt smiled at the three boys who had been able to come. Jeff, Nick and Thad smiled back at him.

"Now, Dave needs friends. He needs people who can be there for him. I know we've all, well, us New Directions people anyway, we've had our issues with him in the past – but it's time to move past that now and be the bigger man..."

Kurt glanced at the girls.

"...or woman. "He smiled at Mercedes who was already nodding back at him.

"Or Dolphin? "Brittany smiled at Kurt while Santana rolled her eyes beside her.

"If you like Britt. "Kurt smiled back at her.

"Speaking of dolphins, "drawled Puck, "Where's your boytoy Hummel? Had to go to Cost-Co to pick up another economy sized box of rubbers?"

.

Santana and Lauren snorted with laughter while Puck acknowledged the glares from Kurt and Mercedes (and Tina, Rachel and Mike). The Warbler boys seemed to be trying not to laugh.

.

"Well NOAH, "Kurt's eyes took on a dangerous glint, "He went down to sit with Dave this morning, so that Dave's dad could get some rest. When Mr Karofsky came back we both insisted that Blaine go home to rest too. He spent the night sleeping in that chair you are sitting in and watching over me. He was about done in. I think he was about to fall over at the slightest breeze."

The girls (plus Mike, Jeff and Nick) all 'awwed' over Blaine's gallantry.

"He sat there watching you sleep? "Sam commented, "Way to go all Edward Cullen."

Mercedes elbowed him surreptitiously.

.

Arguments for and against Kurt's proposal flew briefly about the room until Mercedes ended all discussion by standing up and demanding silence.

"I am going to do this thing, "She said vehemently.

"WE are going to do this thing. Not just for Dave. Not just for his Dad, or for Kurt..."

Mercedes was on a roll here.

"...We are going to do this because it is the RIGHT thing to do. Because if it was one of us in that bed, we would hope that someone would care as much about US to do this as Kurt cares for Dave. And if Kurt can forgive and forget, then HELL to the NO WAY am I going to argue with what is right."

The group was silent for a few moments. Mercedes turned to Kurt.

"Kurt, I'm going to go down there now and sit with Dave and his Dad. Maybe just talk to both of them, let his Dad get a coffee or something. I'll send you my availability, so you can work out when you'll need me. You need a hand working out the roster? That's going to take some serious computer skill. Maybe Artie or Lauren could give you a hand?"

.

Mercedes had had to sit through that unit on spreadsheets and databases with Kurt. While he was a dab hand with a storyboard, Kurt and computer programming ...yeah, not so much.

.

"It's cool 'Cedes, "Kurt smiled at her, "I've recently gotten much better at getting a computer to do what I want it to do. I guess I finally learned how to talk to them in a language they understand."


	20. Tug Of War

**A/N: I sure hope you guys aren't sick of me yet. I still can't get to sleep at night (it's 3.30amish now) - but I had today off so the good news was I got to sleep most of the day. **  
><strong>The BAD news was that I had a dream, which I couldn't remember, but then I felt the urge to type again and ...well, here is the result (it was two dreams actually!)<strong>

**I've been reading back through some of the old chapters, and I'm noticing that my style seems to jump and change a bit from chapter to chapter. I wonder why that is? **

**Certainly this chapter has two very different voices. I kind of like both. Two different voices are what you need to make a harmony remember. (oooh, philosophic musings in the wee small hours, scary!)**

**I hope everyone keeps up with those reviews etc, they make me feel loved. Someone asked me if I have a tumblr or ...LJ id (since I don't even know what those are the answer is no) - but if anyone feels like spreading my fame (cough) and talent (snicker, giggle) on those fora (and yes it's a Latin word so that is the correct plural - look it up!), feel free.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I own the whole world, I am amazing, I write every episode of Glee, It is MINE, MINE I tell you ALL MINE! (oh, and today is Opposite Day)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Paul Karofsky could hear music echoing through the corridors of Lima General Hospital. As he walked carefully, making sure not to spill the tray of coffee he was carrying, he noticed the effects that music was having on the people around him.

As he had left the cafeteria he had barely been able to hear the sound. But it had definitely been there. Walking through the covered atrium which separated the cafeteria building from the general wards he had seen the usual collection of loiterers (mostly surreptitiously smoking despite the regulations). Staff, patients and visitors were all puffing away pathetically, but a few of them had paused, their cigarettes still unlit in their mouths and were listening to the angelic sound which grew and diminished as the doors opened and closed.

As he entered those doors the sound wrapped around him like a cool bath on a hot day. Doctors and nurses discussing patients, checking notes, rushing from place to place walked a little slower, spoke a little gentler, smiled more.

In the large outpatient waiting room (which he only had to walk past, not through), he noted that the sick and worried people sitting there seemed calmer than they had in those first few frantic days just after he had arrived, after his son had been brought here.

Walking past the main nurse's station he noticed the staff working busily as always, but as they spoke on the phone, or typed frantically into their computers they swayed to the music. They smiled at the irate and frightened enquirers and more often than not the enquirers smiled back.

A cleaner was mopping up a spill, blood or vomit, Paul didn't really need or want to know. The man danced with his mop as he cleaned, his face beaming with joy. A worried man, obviously an expectant father rushed his puffing wife past him. The woman slowed in her rush and smiled as she heard the music. They kept moving towards the Obstetrics Ward, but at least both now seemed calmer.

.

As Paul turned the corner and backed through the door leading to the Intensive Care Unit (his hands were very full) the music grew again.

He could now make out a four part harmony, although he didn't recognise the song. It sounded old, classical, possibly religious, yes, he recognised some Latin! A strong male voice was holding the bass tone steadily as a sweet female voice and a tenor sang a complex and achingly beautiful melody. Above them all a crystalline tone wove a descant, so pure, so heartbreakingly sweet that for a moment Paul Karofsky thought an actual angel had manifested in his son's room.

He entered the room as the singers brought their performance to a gentle close.

Quinn Fabray was bending over his son's bed, careful to avoid the wires and tubes of the equipment that surrounded him. That sustained him.

She whispered something in Dave's ear and kissed his cheek gently. Turning, she smiled at Paul and helped wheel Artie's chair into the corridor. Sam Evans picked up her bag, and his guitar and said a farewell to Dave's still form too.

Paul handed the three teens the coffees he had purchased for them, and smiled his gratitude. He didn't want to speak yet, the music seemed to still linger in the walls of the hospital.

.

A passing nurse paused for a second and murmured her thanks to the trio.

She thought to herself, in the five days since the almost lifeless body of David Karofsky had been brought in things had really changed in this hospital. First the board had for some reason agreed to the crazy idea of a twenty-four hour vigil by the bedside of the young victim. Then, they had turned a blind eye to the frequent singing and music that came from the room at almost all hours of the day or night.

Not that anyone in the hospital had, or would, complain. The music wasn't an annoyance. It didn't disturb the patients, or the staff. If anything it seemed to have made everyone's life just that little bit easier. She should know, she was in charge of the nurses schedules. Since the music had come into their lives her nurses had reported fewer problems with patients. Drug usage was down, patients were sleeping easier, feeling less pain and healing faster. Nurses and Doctors were coping better. The Residents, who worked such bone achingly long hours had told her that the music helped them drop into a deep slumber whenever they got the chance to catch a nap. They said that a twenty minute nap now seemed as refreshing as three or four hours of sleep and whatever those crazy kids were doing, they should be allowed to keep doing it.

.

The three young people said their goodbyes to Paul and to the figure who had remained in the room with Dave.

Paul took the tray containing the last two coffees and re-entered his son's room.

"Here you go Kurt, one non-fat mocha."

The bruised face of Kurt Hummel looked up from his seat beside the bed and he smiled as he reached for the drink.

"I thought you said you weren't religious Kurt, "Paul said as he took the seat across the other side of the bed and sipped his own coffee. "Wasn't that a Christian Hymn? "

Kurt flushed slightly and replied.

"I may not believe in God Mr Karofsky, but I do believe in the power of music. Religion has been responsible for a lot of pain and suffering in the world, but it has also given us some of the most beautiful things in it. Quinn suggested it and taught it to me. "

"Your voice is... it's just amazing Kurt, "Paul Karofsky found his eyes stinging with unshed tears. "I wish ...I wish David could hear it."

.

Kurt smiled sadly at the man as he stared at his only son.

"I have faith that he can Mr Karofsky, I believe he can hear us. He knows we are here, he knows he's not alone and soon I believe he will wake up and demand that we 'take all that damned noise somewhere else so he can get a decent sleep'."

Paul couldn't help but laugh at Kurt's uncanny impersonation of his son's gruff voice.

.

"Well Kurt, "He said, "I believe I'm down on your roster for the next four hours or so, and then it's..."

Paul checked the multi-coloured, glittered and sequined master timetable collage, that Brittany had made out of cardboard and felt, which was hanging on the wall above the table in the corner.

"...Wes and David until six, then Mercedes, Jeff and Thad until eleven and finally Puck and Lauren overnight."

.

Kurt blushed a little at the look of gratitude which Paul Karofsky was giving him.

"We're all just here for Dave Mr Karofsky. I know he's had his problems. I'd be the first one to ask about them, but he's really a good guy deep down. What he did for my step-mother proves that."

"But for all you kids to give up so much of your summer break for him..."

"We get to hang out with each other here. We get to sing. A lot of the Warbler guys have never really met the New Directions gang, so now they get to do something meaningful and make new friends, what's not to like?"

Paul Karofsky wasn't sure what to make of the young man in front of him. He was either mad, or a saint. (perhaps both?)

"After all Dave put you..."

"No Mr Karofsky, please. Dave and I have moved way beyond that now. I've come to know him a lot better recently, and I understand why he did what he did, and I have forgiven him. I know you can't understand what is going on inside his head, but trust me, when he recovers you'll have a long time to talk it all through. He'll need his dad more than ever then."

.

Kurt gathered his things and stood. He turned to the still figure of Dave and gently kissed his forehead.

"Hurry up and heal Neanderthal, there are people who miss you out here! "

He whispered, but Paul managed to hear him.

As Kurt left Paul regarded his elegant back as he walked down the corridor. Then he turned to his unconscious son and began to think...

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

...darkness ...silence ...**KURT**...I hear Kurt ...music, so much music ...am I in heaven ...silence...

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Finn Hudson was lying on his back, shirtless, in his backyard, on the soft grass, under the shade of the wide-spreading branches of a sycamore.

He stared at the clouds as they scudded across the deep blue of the sky.

.

"...and you reckon this is the absolute best way in the world to do this? "Finn asked sceptically.

The dark-haired figure next to him sighed in frustration but refrained from saying anything.

"...not that I don't trust you. I do trust you! It's just, I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, I've never tried it like this before."

His companion stared at him in annoyance until Finn looked back.

"Oh alright then, on the count of three? ONE...TWO...THREE!"

.

Finn's arms and legs shot up into the air and he wriggled and twisted his back crazily into the grass. His tongue lolled from his mouth as his neck and jaw relaxed and his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Oh...My... God! That was amazing! No wonder you love it so much!"

Finn sat up and hugged his wriggle partner.

/**FEELS GOOD**/_wriggly relaxed muscle feeling_/**GRASS WARM**/_thirst, image of cool water_/**FINN SWIM NOW?**/_image of swimming pool, sensation of huge splash_/**ROTTEN EGG IS LAST ONE**/

With that the dog leapt to his paws and careened towards the pool. Finn scrambled awkwardly to his feet and ran after him. Dog waited, with tail wagging, at the edge of the pool until Finn came close and then leapt in, aiming his leap so as to ensure maximum splash on the approaching Finn.

.

Burt and Carole laughed as they watched the antics from their sun lounges on the patio.

Burt's heart ached a little less every time he saw Carole smile or laugh.

.

Carole sipped the lemonade which Kurt had insisted on making before he had left for his 'shift' at the hospital. She lifted her glass and looked at the ice cubes in it.

(Frozen lemonade, not water. And each cube contained a leaf of either mint or lemon verbena. Kurt didn't stop until he achieved perfection.)

She smiled at Burt and then they both looked over as Finn attempted to win a tug of war with Dog.

.

"You know Burt, no matter how scary that night was, if it means I get to watch this, it was almost worth it."

Burt was about to reply when the phone rang. He reached down beside his chair and answered it.

Carole watched as an array of emotions passed across his face.

.

_Faint annoyance, boredom, resignation, curiosity, surprise, worry, shock, more worry, disgruntlement, polite restraint and finally determination and an undercurrent of fed-up._

.

She listened in to Burt's side of the conversation too...

.

* * *

><p><em>"Hello, the Hudson-Hummel residence, Burt speaking..."<em>

_...  
><em>

_"I'm sorry, you're from where?"_

_...  
><em>

_"Look I don't know what you guys think you're going to achieve by..."_

_...  
><em>

_"Well, what IS it about then?"_

_...  
><em>

_"Yes he's my son. Why do you need to...?"_

_...  
><em>

_"Yes, we know him. Is there some problem? Is he in some kind of...?"_

_...  
><em>

_"He what? When? NO, I haven't been informed of this. What do you ...?"_

_...  
><em>

_"Yeah, well there's been a lot going on here too, I'm sure he just forgot to..."_

_...  
><em>

_"I shall pass the message o to him. And I WILL be accompanying him to the meeting."_

_...  
><em>

_"I'm sorry, HOW much? I...I suppose that will do then..."_

...

"I'll make sure he's there. Yes, they will be won't they. Thanks for calling."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Burt hung up and sighed a single word.

"KURT!"

.

Of course, that was the moment Kurt walked through the back door and into the yard.

.

He had changed into more casual clothes after his stint by the bedside and was bringing out a fresh pitcher of lemonade.

"Hey guys, did anyone want some lunch, I picked up some fresh grain rolls at the market on my way home? I also managed to get this fabulous pair of shoes, patent leather, really beautiful stitching, and best of all they were reduced Dad, so don't worry, I don't think I quite maxed out my gold card yet."

Kurt pointed his toes and gestured, with his free hand, towards his feet.

Burt eyed his son coldly and Carole sensed trouble brewing.

.

"Kurt, "He began calmly enough, "I just got off the phone with some lawyer from England or Ireland or somewhere. He wanted to contact you."

Kurt went very, very still and looked at his dad. His voice came out at an even higher pitch than normal, a sure sign of nerves.

'Oh? Really? Did... Did he say what he wanted?"

Carole focused on her husband and stepson. Finn and Dog remained oblivious as they horsed around in the pool.

"Yeah, yeah he did." Burt was even calmer now. Oh dear, Carole thought, not a good sign at all.

Kurt stood clutching the pitcher of lemonade as if it might ward off Banquo's ghost or something.

Burt continued.

.

"Yeah...SON, he wanted to set a time for a meeting with his law firm, a meeting to discuss your inheritance."

"MY inheritance? I don't know what you mean? Blaine is the one who..."

"It seems Blaine can, and has named YOU his 'co-inheritor', or some sort of mumbo jumbo legal stuff, and he's giving you half of everything."

Kurt went even paler and sat down on a nearby chair.

"He wanted to know when, and I quote, 'The new Lords of Danaere Castle would be able to come to Ireland to take over the property and sign the legal papers'..."

"Oh my god, Dad, I swear I didn't know Blaine was going to... I didn't realise he COULD..."

"...He also explained that it needed to be soon as a great many investment decisions needed both your signatures to proceed."

"I was going to tell you about this Dad but I..."

"He also wanted to tell me that he was releasing some 'MINOR' funds into your accounts today, so that you would have and again I quote 'sufficient petty cash to make your way until your full inheritance is settled upon you'."

Kurt closed his mouth with his hand. His jaw muscles seemed to have stopped working.

"How much is this release? "Carole asked.

Kurt looked at the grim humour in his Dad's eyes and braced himself.

"Twenty Million Dollars."

.

Carole gasped. Burt remained stony-faced.

"Kurt, exactly how much is this 'inheritance' if twenty million is considered petty cash?"

Kurt sat gasping for air until he managed to pull himself together.

"Um... Blaine's Dad couldn't work out an exact figure. There are too many properties and long yield bonds and stuff to give more than just a rough estimate of the total worth. He did work out a figure for the immediate cash and liquid assets though..."

Kurt told them the figure Blaine had shared.

Burt and Carole both went pale.

.

"Son..."Burt spoke carefully, "That much money can really change a person."

Kurt snorted.

.

"Dad, a little money isn't going to change me or Blaine. I've spent the past fortnight talking to machinery and changing into Grizzly Bears and Llamas. My boyfriend could probably bench-press a school-bus and then convince the Pope to sing 'I'm a little teapot' in Latin from the altar of St Peters. Plus, we currently have a talking dog in our pool trying to teach my step-brother how to catch a tennis ball on his nose. "

Kurt was flushing as his emotions kicked in.

"I will live my life the way I want to live it. I will live my life the way you taught me is right. Dad, if we were flat broke it wouldn't change who we are, or how we love, so a few billion dollars here or there means nothing. At most all it means is that Blaine and I can reach a little further and give a little deeper when people need our help."

Kurt put the pitcher on the table and knelt beside his father

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I honestly didn't know Blaine could do such a thing. He probably organised it ages ago and forgot too. Blaine loves me Dad, and I love him, and I know we're young, but trust me on this Dad, we're in this for the long haul. "

Carole had tears shimmering in her eyes. Maybe Burt did too.

"You've seen some of the things Blaine and I can do now, but you can't see or feel some of the things I can see and feel now, and I KNOW the future Dad. It is good. And if it's not good all the time, well that's why Blaine and I are together. Because together we will MAKE it good, for everyone."

Burt held out his arms and his son fell into them while Carole wept and laughed at the same time.

.

.

Finn and Dog came running up, shaking the water from their hair as they did so.

/**FINN LOST!**/_sense of triumph, empty belly_/**FOOD NOW?**/

"I'm starving Mom, "Finn gushed, "What's for lunch? Hey Kurt! Whoa, are they new shoes? Cool, love the shine! Hey mom, could we afford a pair like that for me? Those shoes are totally awesome!"

Kurt stood up.

"I'm about to make some salad rolls. Finn, if you tidy up out here and grab a shower and wash Dog, I will agree to PERHAPS trying to find you a pair like mine, although I'm not sure if the circus shop is still selling patent leather clown shoes."

Dog licked Kurt's hand and turned to Finn.

/**HURRY FINN**/_image of Finn with turtle shell on_/**BATH THEN FOOD**/_image of Finn sitting in a bucket full of suds_/**KURT SAYS**/

Finn moaned and went inside to change.

Dog turned to Kurt.

/**KURT SMELL LIKE DAVE**/_lonely, sad, missing piece of self_/**DAVE SOON?**/_image of Dog alone on a dark plain_/**SOON? PROMISE?**/

Kurt bit his lip.

"I'm doing my best Dog, we just need to stay strong, for Dave."

/**STAY STRONG?**/_sensation of wining tug-of-war_/**NEED FOOD**/_image of Kurt leaning weakly on a wall_/**KURT MUST EAT MORE**/

"THANKYOU! "Burt Hummel exclaimed, "See Kurt, someone ELSE agrees with me. You eat like a bird kiddo, you need to eat more."

.

Kurt smirked at Dog and his Dad.

.

"If you insist guys, I could eat like a horse...seriously... I could you know!"


	21. Lost and Found

**A/N: Hello, well I had a week of work/life imbalance and then finally I found myself typing at 2am again. So this afternoon, after I woke up, I spent the rest of my day off polishing this little thing as best I can. There are another two chapters in pieces at the moment - I think I might need to go get some scissors and some duct tape. Surgry might be required. One is all dry exposition and the other has lots of things happening in random order. So I need to sort out where they got muddled and fix it!**

**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews and messages people have been sending me - they really do make me feel like someone appreciates my feeble efforts.**

**A few people wanted to know if I was thinking of a specific piece of music for the beginning of the last chapter. The answer is yes. I was thinking of Bach's '_Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring'_ Try the link below for my favourite version, and imagine Kurt's voice.**

**ht tp: /w ww .youtube .com / watch?v = iPeVIuRjUi4 (remove the spaces)**

**Hope to post some updates soon. (and I hope that wish doesn't jinx it for me!)-ooo, and by the way, I think this could be the first chapter that doesn't end with a snappy one liner, hope no-one is too upset. :(**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own or contribute officially to Glee, except as an avid audience member. Nor do I own a lake, or any local wildlife. I do own some throw pillows though (but not a slipcover)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Brittany S. Pierce was crying.

Large wet tears rolled down her cheeks as her eyes reddened and shimmered. Her shoulders shook with her repeated sobs and her long blond hair hung limply as she buried her face into the broad shoulder she was crying into. Across the room Santana Lopez hugged herself tightly and stared at the crying girl, her face a mixture of fear and sadness. Finally she could take no more and walked around the bed to wrap Brittany in her arms.

"Britt, honey, what's wrong? "She asked softly.

"Dave looked so sad, "Brittany gulped air in as she tried to stop her tears, "He just looked so lost and afraid."

Santana looked puzzled for a moment.

"Britt, Dave is right there. He's asleep. Honey, you're using his shoulder as a Kleenex right now. "

Brittany looked at the figure lying on the hospital bed in front of her. She looked into Santana's eyes.

"No, I mean the other Dave."

.

Santana was even more confused now.

"You mean that Warbler guy, the hot one who is always attached at the hip to the cute uptight Asian, the one who's a friend of Frodo?"

Brittany's tears stopped gradually.

"Who's Frodo? "She asked nervously. "Have I forgotten one of our friends again? I mean, the name sounds really familiar but I can't..."

Santana mentally kicked herself. She was usually so careful about how she phrased things around Brittany.

"Sorry Britt, I was making a joke about how Blaine always reminds me of the hobbit from _Lord of the Rings_, you remember, that movie with all the elves and the talking trees?"

"I remember that movie! "Brittany seemed relieved, "But you know Santana, trees can't really talk."

Santana just smiled and nodded, crisis averted.

.

"Well, I mean, they can, but not aloud like that. They sort of whisper in your head, "Brittany had turned back to Dave's unconscious body and was gently stroking his hair, "But it takes a really long time, because trees are like, really slow, and usually by the time they get to the end of the first sentence you've forgotten what they were talking about anyway. Usually it's not worth the effort, unless you're lost in a forest or really bored or the trees have some really juicy gossip to share. Trees don't move around much though, not in Ohio anyway, so they usually just want to talk about rainfall statistics or how annoying beavers can be. I made a joke once about 'dam beavers' and one tree laughed so hard a branch fell off and landed on my dad's car and we had to wait for hours for the auto-club to come and give us a tow and dad was really mad. Not at me, he was mad at Isaac Newton, which I didn't think was really fair because I was the one who had told the joke. Newton has been dead for centuries, and I think he only ever talked to apple trees anyway and this tree was a spruce."

Santana loved Brittany deeply, but she would never, ever understand her. She took the option most people familiar with the blond took.

"So Blaine's friend Dave looked sad huh? "Santana had heard nothing, she had heard NOTHING.

"No, Dave looked sad. "Brittany explained.

"...Dave ...Karofsky? "Santana indicated the figure in the bed.

"Yes, "Brittany nodded, relieved her best friend was finally on the same page as her. "Only the other Dave."

.

Santana would never be able to laugh at Abbot and Costello again.

"Britt, sweetie, "she asked slowly, "when did you see this other Dave?" Perhaps, she thought, Brittany had gotten confused with Dave's dad, or... yeah, no.

"Last night, he was in the cafeteria when Kurt and I went to get Dave's dad a coffee."

"What was he doing?"

"He was sitting here talking to Dave and waiting for us to get back I guess."

.

Santana closed her eyes for a few seconds... just a few...

Ok, better now.

.

"What was the other Dave doing honey?"

"Oh, sorry. He was standing there looking at Kurt and looking so lost and lonely. I thought maybe he might be avoiding entanglements too."

Santana knew she would regret her next action, but it had to be taken.

"Britt, honey... sweetie ...what exactly do you mean by 'entanglements'?"

"Well Quinn told me she was avoiding boys because she needed to stay away from romantic entanglements for a while so she could find herself. Dave looked so lost, I thought that maybe he was trying to find himself too. I tried to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow, but I didn't have any breadcrumbs. I bought a croissant from the lady at the cafeteria, but I'm not sure if that counts as bread. I checked with Kurt and he said that it counts the same once it gets to your hips so I figured that was close enough. So anyway, I left a trail of croissant crumbs back to Dave's room but I think that some birds must have gotten into the hospital and eaten them because when I came in this afternoon they were gone. I asked Kurt about Dave avoiding boys and trying to find himself but he just..."

Santana reached out her arms and hugged Brittany tightly.

"Don't ever change sweet thing. "She murmured.

Brittany looked at Santana with wide, surprised eyes.

"Wow Santana, that's exactly what Kurt did last night. Were you there too? I'm sorry I didn't notice you, I was busy worrying about Dave. Other Dave. Other Dave who isn't Blaine's friend. Except I think Blaine likes this Dave too now so..."

Santana just sighed and hugged her again.

"Come on Brittany, let's sing this Dave something."

"Ok, but can we do Metallica again, the guy who dances in the corridors says his mop really likes Metallica. Or was it Justin Bieber? I get those two confused sometimes."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Elaine Anderson watched her husband with amusement as he tried, unsuccessfully, to convince the duck to get out of the car.

It was a large duck, brown feathers edged with green, and it sat, stubbornly, on the passenger seat of the maroon Audi glaring out the open door. Elaine turned to her son and managed to stifle the chuckle she felt rising from her chest.

Blaine sat cross-legged on the grass of their front lawn staring into the eyes of an even larger duck which sat forlornly in front of him.

.

"Well you need to apologise to her or she WILL leave you, "Blaine said softly to the duck, "I think you have to agree that she has a right to be upset, don't you?"

The duck quacked softly.

"No, you need to say it to her. Look at her, you know she's angry enough to stay in there till fall. Do you really want to force my Dad to have to DRIVE her south for the winter?"

The duck looked up and quacked loudly in the direction of the car. After a few seconds the female in the car hopped out and joined the pair sitting on the grass.

Elaine and John Anderson looked at each other.

"My son, marriage therapist to local wildlife, how could a father not be proud? "John Anderson joked to his wife.

.

The female duck stretched out a wing and cuffed the larger male lightly across his head. Then the two ducks rubbed their necks against each other and thanked Blaine.

Blaine stood and watched as the ducks took off into the sky, heading in the direction of the local lake.

He called after them. "And no more decoys!"

.

"Sorry Mom, Dad, I ran into them the other day when I was out jogging and when their argument got to the point where they needed an outside voice, they both thought of me. "

Elaine Anderson just smiled at him.

"Have you heard from Kurt today darling? "She asked. "How's your friend doing, any change in his condition?"

"Kurt is coming over soon Mom. He says Dave's breathing on his own now, thank goodness, "Blaine sighed, "But still no sign of when, or even IF he's going to wake up."

Blaine's mother nodded. "You said he was pretty badly injured, it's going to take some time to come back from that."

"Mom, he was dead. He wasn't breathing and I felt his heart stop. If Kurt hadn't wished..."

"Wait, "Elaine Anderson seemed shocked, "You used a Godmother wish to bring him back to life? But...that's not... I mean, nobody can..."

.

Her voice trailed off as she saw her son's face go blank for a second. Then he smiled and murmured to the empty air.

"I love you too, see you soon."

Mrs Anderson took her son's hand and drew him into the house.

"Come on Blaine, we'd better get the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea ready for Kurt when he pulls up."

Blaine looked at his mother in confusion.

"Mom, there's no rush. He's only just leaving Lima now. It's going to take him at least ninety minutes to get here."

Blaine's mother gave him the same look she had earlier. Blaine continued.

"Your parents were Godmothers too weren't they? You must know the rings let you feel your partner's emotions, and sometimes even hear and speak to each other."

"Yes they do honey, "Elaine Anderson looked worried, "But only when you're close to each other. When my Dad broke his leg, my mother didn't even know about it until she got to about two blocks away from their house. Then she felt him and ran the rest of the way home. Blaine, Lima is over sixty miles away. I've never heard of a Godmother bond being able to allow feeling over that distance, let alone communication!"

.

Blaine blinked.

"I guess we might have strengthened our bond a little when I lent Kurt my powers the other day."

Elaine paled and called for her husband.

"Blaine honey, come into the lounge, we need to talk about this."

Blaine's father came out from the kitchen where he had been preparing lunch.

"Something wrong? "He asked nervously.

"Our son, it seems, has been doing the impossible again. Family conference, in the lounge in two minutes. Kurt will be here soon, he can join us for lunch when he arrives. Can lunch be put on hold?"

Mr Anderson nodded, "It's just quiche and salad. I know Kurt likes to eat light and healthy, so I'm trying a new vegan recipe that uses egg replacement powder because it's lower in fat and cholesterol. He does like mushrooms doesn't he Blaine?"

Blaine smiled warmly at his Dad. From latent homophobe to fussing over his son's boyfriend, his Dad had grown so much.

.

"He loves them. You really don't need to go to ..."

"He's part of our family now Blaine and I mean to make sure he knows he is going to be a valued part."

Elaine interrupted.

"Fine. You, go cook. You, go wash and change. We'll have the family conference after lunch then, when ALL the family can be present."

Blaine smiled at his mother's bossiness.

"And what are you going to be doing while we prepare? "He asked playfully.

"I'm going to be on the phone and the internet, "She replied, "Trying to see if I can track down your Grandpa Pang. I think we might need some expert guidance here."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Paul Karofsky sat in the hospital issued armchair and stared at his son's still face.

The chairs, he noted absently, were remarkably comfortable.

Kurt had brought in some hypo-allergenic, washable throw cushions and had made matching slip covers (also washable) so that those sitting with Dave would have something 'comfortable and beautiful to keep their souls warm and their hearts light'.

('And their butts un-numb' Blaine had added)

.

Paul shook his head gently. Kurt and Blaine, what a pair.

He had thought that he was a tolerant man, but when he had felt the slight feeling of shock and discomfort at seeing the two boys kissing or holding hands, he had the thought that perhaps society's prejudices had sunk further into his body and mind than he had realised.

Over the past days he had worked through his feelings. Neither of the boys ever made a show of their affection for the other, at least, not physically, or in front of strangers. But over the seemingly endless days and nights they had shared vigil with him, he had seen the little gestures, the touches and smiles, even surprised them kissing on a few occasions.

At first he had felt uncomfortable, but gradually the couple became normal to him.

Now ...now he smiled when he saw Kurt's foot slide next to Blaine's as they sat on Dave's bed and talked to him. Neither boy ever noticed what they were doing, it was an unconscious, an instinctive action and Paul Karofsky had decided that it was... beautiful.

When the two boys sang to his son, the look in their eyes... his heart ached with the joy he saw there.

.

Also at first, Paul had watched the couple, trying to determine who the 'girl' in the relationship was. He may have previously prided himself on his tolerant views, but Paul realised quickly that he had never actually seen a gay couple together, in 'action' so to speak.

Certainly Kurt was the more effeminate of the pair. But the way his fierce anger and sharp tongue were so quick to defend Blaine, or Dave or Paul or any of his friends was more masculine than anything Paul had seen in any movie or television show.

Blaine was more masculine, but the sensitivity he displayed to others, the care and concern in his voice at times... Paul sighed, the two boys really were equals. Neither seemed to feel the need to conform to society's predetermined gender roles. They would be tough when they needed to be tough, and cry if they felt like crying. Neither was weaker or stronger than the other, they were... a partnership.

Paul recalled that petition he had signed months back about protesting the opposition to gay marriage. Perhaps signing a petition wasn't enough, he thought. Perhaps, after his son was better and his life was back on track, he would offer his help to such a cause.

Perhaps it would be some small way to repay Kurt and Blaine for all they were doing.

.

.

As Paul sat, watching the monitors silently keeping track of his son's heartbeats he sensed someone standing in the doorway behind him and turned to look.

He stared at the figure who stood, looking at his shuffling feet, still in the doorway of the room.

"Come in son, "Paul said quietly.

The figure hesitated, then softly sighed and entered the room, letting the door close behind him.

"I was beginning to think you would never show up, "Paul said, his eyes trying to make contact with the boy's.

"I wasn't sure I would, "Azimio Adams said huskily. "I'm still not."

"What happened Azimio? "Paul asked, "Why did you do it?"

Azimio looked at Paul with horror on his face.

'I didn't... I... no, it wasn't..."

"I don't mean this attack son, I mean the one where Dave got arrested. What happened? Why did you hit him?"

Azimio sat in the other chair and thought for a long while. Paul waited patiently.

"I didn't hit him Mr Karofsky. I didn't... well, I guess I didn't really protect him either."

Paul nodded for the boy to continue.

"I just watched as Ross and Phillips laid into him. I stood there... then I ran. I... it was me who called the cops. I just couldn't... I don't know what I was thinking. I was so confused."

Paul could see genuine pain behind the well shielded eyes.

"Want to talk about it son?"

.

Azimio looked at the older man, then his gaze darted to the still figure in the hospital bed. His eyes followed the sine wave of the heart monitor for a few minutes.

"I... I don't know if I can. I... "Azimio looked at Paul forcefully. "Has Dave talked to you recently? Since school ended I mean."

Paul sighed sadly.

"Dave hasn't really spoken to me for months, maybe even a couple of years. I mean, we have conversations, but he doesn't talk to me anymore. I wish I knew what the problem was. I wish I could figure out how to talk to my son. I miss him."

Azimio nodded.

"Is he... Is he going to be OK? Do they know?"

"No-one knows Azimio, but if Kurt and Blaine have anything to say about it, he will be fine."

"Kurt? "Azimio seemed more relieved than puzzled, "Kurt Hummel? The fair..."

"You will not use any insulting word like that in my presence or my son's presence ever! Do I make myself clear?"

Azimio nodded.

.

"Sorry sir, force of habit I guess. Dave has been getting on my case about it too since he and Hummel started... well, since the Bullywhips thing got going."

"Dave has made some real progress in his life since that started. I'm beginning to recognise my son again."

Azimio kept nodding.

"So Dave hasn't... he hasn't said anything to you about ...about... "Azimio trailed off.

"...Hummel seems to have been getting a lot closer to him since he came back to McKinley. "He finally blurted out.

"Well, they could scarcely have gotten further apart, could they?"

"I mean, he's been spending a lot of time hanging around Dave and..."

"Kurt has been a very good friend to Dave in the past few weeks, perhaps his only good friend, and if you are trying to suggest some other motive, I have gotten to know Kurt and his boyfriend, Blaine, pretty well over the last week and not only are they are not only both wonderful and very special young men but they are very, very much in love, with each other! Was there something else you wanted to say Mr Adams?"

Paul's voice had not risen in volume, but it was certainly a lot more intense than it had been a few seconds before.

Azimio blinked and gulped noisily.

"I didn't mean, I mean, I wasn't trying to... I mean Dave isn't... um... that is I..."

Paul talked over him.

"If my son and Kurt, or my son and Blaine, or hell, my son and BOTH of them... If Dave was to become involved, as friends or even as a romance with either or both of those boys, I would be happy for him. He is my son, he deserves someone special."

Azimio seemed shocked. Paul kept talking.

"Dave has been your friend since second grade Azimio. He talks to you. Do you know anything? Is he...? Is my son...?"

"He's never talked to me about this sort of stuff Mr Karofsky, I swear."

"But you know him. Please, tell me. I think I'm beginning to suspect what it is he's been so afraid to talk to me about. Please tell me if you know anything. Please..."

.

The well dressed older man had tears streaming down his face now.

Azimio watched. He had rarely seen a grown man crying before. He had never seen a man cry who seemed so unashamed and so... so free to express the love he felt for his son.

(Well, except maybe for Hummel's dad, and he was a scary man too, just like Paul Karofsky.)

.

"I don't know Mr Karofsky. I really don't. He's never said... I mean, we've always been so mean to Hummel and... But, sir, I think... I think I might know the reason Dave was always so fixated on punishing Hummel for being a... for being... gay."

Paul picked up his son's limp hand and kissed it.

"I think I know too, "He whispered, "I just wish he would wake up so I could tell him it's OK. I wish I could tell him I love him."

.

Azimio sighed, and a tension Paul hadn't noticed until it was gone seemed to leave the young man's large body.

"I wish he'd wake up too."


	22. Keeping Relatively Calm

**A/N: Ok, managed to chop, slash and splice the raw material into some semblance of a chapter. Only a shortish one, the next bit needs more work though.**

**Have fun guys - hopefully will get the rest done over the next few days.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, I don't claim to own Glee. If I did the costume budget would be slashed dramatically as most of the boys would never be required to wear more than sunscreen and a smile.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It wasn't until he was about thirty minutes away from Blaine's house that Kurt noticed his passenger.

Something had been bothering him ever since he had slipped behind the wheel of his precious 'Baby' and started his journey.

No. Wait.

Whatever it was, it had happened about ten minutes into the journey.

Kurt thought back carefully.

He had been stuck behind the mini-bus filled with senior citizens, all noisily and excitedly chatting away on some sort of shopping outing or another.

Both he and the van had stopped at the busy intersection just before he turned off onto Bellefontaine Road.

He remembered that the traffic lights had seemed to take an absolute age to change. He had been distracted when the hydrant across the road had begun to spew water everywhere and had almost missed the light finally changing. As they had pulled away, he had been forced to slow again as the mini-bus turned onto the shopping centre just past the intersection.

Then he remembered as he was passing the airport he had dropped his bottle of water onto the floor on the passenger's side. When he stopped at the next light he had reached down to grab it, but it must have rolled under the seat or something.

He had thought no more of it, until now, half an hour away from Blaine's house.

He checked his mirrors surreptitiously, no, nothing there.

He checked again.

Finally he made a decision.

.

"Could every mobile phone, pager or other portable electronic device currently travelling in this car please make a noise?"

His phone, his I-pod and his scientific calculator each made beeping noises.

Something in the back seat also made a noise.

A soft voice swore in... was that Chinese?

.

"You are indeed a clever one, young master. I always knew that succumbing to the habits of this technological age would be my undoing."

The voice was soft, reedy and old.

Kurt looked sharply into the mirror.

.

A small wizened old Asian man smiled back at him. His bright black eyes crinkled almost to the point of invisibility as he grinned an almost toothless grin. His face was a sun-browned mass of wrinkles and age spots. His beard was long, white and wispy in the extreme. His clothes...

He was wearing the most beautiful silk robes Kurt had ever seen. Patterns and pictures in almost every shade of blue and green swirled across the gorgeous fabric. The old man took a fancy smart-phone out of a hidden pocket within the robe and frowned sternly at it.

"Betrayed by my own need for YouTube! "He lamented.

.

The old man raised a bushy white brow at Kurt, who had yet to say anything, had yet to react really.

"You seem remarkably calm young master, for one who has discovered that his long solo drive across Ohio is somewhat less solo than previously he thought."

.

Kurt raised an elegant brow back as they made eye contact through the mirror.

.

"First, if you had wanted to harm me, you had ample opportunity at almost any time in the last fifty minutes. I assume you hopped in when I was distracted by that 'oh so convenient' hydrant exploding?"

The man bowed his agreement.

"Second, I'm not exactly without a few tricks up my sleeve too you know. Although I'd probably have to pull over and park before I tried to see whether you were vulnerable to cobra venom or the like."

The old man laughed and shook his head gently.

"It would hurt a lot, but not kill me."

Kurt nodded politely into the mirror, then had to pause to negotiate a tricky bend in the road.

"And of besides, third, I make it a point not to try to engage in magic contests with my boyfriend's relatives."

.

The old man laughed joyously and suddenly was sitting in the front seat next to Kurt. Kurt wasn't sure if he was just really, really fast (faster than Blaine even) or had actually teleported.

"Oh Mr Kurt Hummel, I have heard so many great things about you. I am so glad that they were not exaggerations, but were in fact understatements!"

Kurt nodded politely to his passenger and offered his hand briefly.

"Grandpa Pang I assume?"

The old man seemed surprised.

'You know of me? "He overacted his shock, "Oh my lovely and talented great-granddaughter Elaine must have told her lovely and talented son, and her talented son must have told his equally lovely and talented boyfriend. Oh my, so much fame for such an old man!"

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at the old man's act.

.

"I hope you can teach me the invisible trick. My _Glamour_ needs a bit of work before I can be that seamless. How did you manage the fire hydrant, if you don't mind me asking?"

"River Dragon, "the old man replied, "I can control or manipulate almost any form or source of water. Hydrants are easy. They are designed to let water out. They do tend to respond a bit over-enthusiastically though."

The man took Kurt's hand and Kurt felt an aura of immense age and power barely contained within the papery, dry skin beneath his fingers.

.

"I am Pang Lung, Grandpa Pang or just Pang will do. "

He looked across to Kurt apologetically.

"I'm afraid I rather stole your bottle of water. You wouldn't have another would you? I'm rather a heavy drinker you see."

Kurt raised his brows again.

"Not like that young master, "Pang giggled, "River Dragon, remember?"

"We could stop in Marysville if you like, we're nearly there."

"No, no, continue on young master, I shall wait patiently and quietly and soon I shall be restored to the bosom of my family and drink my fill there."

.

Kurt shook his head at the playfully dramatic attitude of the powerful and ancient being sitting next to him.

Fidgeting next to him.

Fidgeting next to him, sighing out the window and playing with the radio.

They drove for several more minutes.

Pang turned to Kurt as they passed through the small town of Marysville.

"Young master, I have something of utmost importance to ask of you."

"What is it Grandpa Pang? "Kurt replied.

"Are we there yet?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Pete and Steffi made their way slowly across the park.

Every few minutes Steffi had to stop and lie down on the soft grass under the shady trees and pant a little.

Pete seemed torn between running for help and staying with her, but every time he chose to stay and offer her words of encouragement.

"I'll be alright you stupid old man, just go get some help! "Steffi seemed tense. "What's the use of us getting to the other side of the park if no-one is there to help us? Go find someone with a mobile phone and call Quinn. Call Kurt or Blaine. Call someone!" I don't need you here to hold my hand!"

Pete just held her hand and smiled.

"Don't worry so much Steff, something is bound to turn up. We've been lucky so far haven't we?"

Steffi sighed and held out her hand so Pete could help her up.

She was pale, very pale and her face was drawn with undisclosed pain.

"I hope we are very, very, very lucky then! "She huffed as she lurched a few more steps. As she did so her belly rippled with spasms and she swore under her breath. "Very lucky!"

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Lord Tubbington was sitting on Brittany's front lawn watching his Brittany and her friends Santana and Quinn lie in the sun in their bikinis and listen to music.

The sun was warm, but not too harsh, and the grass was soft.

Even Brittany had forgone dancing in favour of collapsing boneless into it and sighing with languid joy.

A small tear threatened to fall from his eye.

Lord Tubbington was distracted by a sound coming from a nearby tree. A sound only his cat ears could pick up. He walked closer to investigate the source.

Spotting a small brown bat hiding in the darkest part of the tree he made a sharp query of it. At this time of the day, no self-respecting bat would be flying about, unless the matter was particularly urgent.

.

Lord Tubbington listened to the bat's story. He listened to what it and its colony mates had overheard and listened to the reasons this brave bat had volunteered to risk its life to deliver the message to someone who could help.

He thanked the brave bat and directed it to the darkest part of the Pierce's wine cellar, opening the outside window a touch for it so it could enter easily. Then he thought long and hard. He would need to find some help fast, but he couldn't leave here, and Brittany was too busy (and too accompanied) to ask her for help.

Luckily, his Brittany had forgotten to take her phone with her when she went into the garden. He streaked upstairs and made a call.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Blaine smiled as he felt Kurt's love touch his mind.

He was just getting out of the shower and was towelling himself off when his phone rang.

"Hey Babe! "Blaine answered, "You were just thinking of me!"

Kurt laughed, the strange thing was, Blaine's crazy sounding comment was one hundred percent accurate, for them.

"Is this the part where I'm meant to ask you what you're wearing? "Kurt teased.

"You might be in for a surprise if you did Kurt, "Blaine teased back, "I just got out of the shower a few seconds ago and I'm only wearing a..."

Blaine dropped the towel on the floor.

"...oops! It fell off! I guess that means..."

Kurt interrupted hastily.

"Blaine, has your Mom been trying to contact your Grandpa Pang? You know, the Dragon?"

.

Blaine could now hear someone speaking in the background of Kurt's call, someone saying 'can I have a guess?' and 'ooh look, ducks!'

He blushed, even though no-one could see him and he hurriedly retrieved his towel from the floor and wrapped himself up again.

"I take it there's a reason she hasn't been getting an answer from the Philippines then? "Blaine smiled as he put together an outfit Kurt would approve of being 'lunch worthy'.

"Tell your folks I'm bringing a guest would you? And could you have a gallon jug of water ready too?"

Kurt was obviously listening to Pang say something else.

"Oh, and make sure no-one is in the downstairs bathroom, Pang needs to use the restroom ASAP he says."

Kurt sounded amused.

An elderly Chinese-accented voice spoke loudly into Kurt's phone.

"Hey! I am a River Dragon! RIVER, not Lake! Rivers flow you know. You don't want me to fall stagnant do you?"

.

Blaine winced at the monumental badness of that pun.

"Are you ok love? "He asked Kurt softly.

"You know, "Kurt drawled, "For an ancient and powerful mythic being, your Grandfather the River Dragon reminds me an awful lot of Finn."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Finn Hudson was watching a documentary about the history of Stone-Age man.

Although he would never have admitted it to any of his friends, or Burt, or (heavens forbid) Kurt, Finn just hadn't been able to face the prospect of yet another sports show or basketball game. Even baseball had lost its appeal today.

He had sat down in front of the television and turned it on. Then he had asked it to choose something it thought might make an interesting change from sport.

This documentary was actually pretty cool.

Finn had never known about flint tools, the importance of fire, and the domestication of the wolf to become the first 'dog' had almost made him go out to wake up his new friend.

He had eventually decided to let sleeping Dog lie.

Whoa, a joke. Finn had thought of a joke.

.

The phone rang. Finn answered it.

"The Hudson/Hummel residence, Finn Hudson speaking."

There was a long pause.

"Ah..." the voice was deep and gravelly, "I wonder Mr Hudson, might I perhaps talk to Mr Hummel, Mr KURT Hummel. The matter is rather urgent."

"Kurt's not here, he's gone out for the day. Could I take a message?"

"Damn, "said the unfamiliar voice, "Please tell me he hasn't gone off to Westerville today."

"Who is this? "Finn was starting to get suspicious, even though usually the callers who were out to abuse Kurt or his family would have called him a name by now.

"I'm a ...let's just say I'm a friend of a friend, "The mystery voice sounded nervous, "I needed to relay a vital message about a young lady who it would appear is in distress. Would you be able to contact Miss Quinn Fabray and tell her that Steffi needs her help urgently at the place she met Kurt that first day."

.

"Who is this? "Finn was very suspicious now, this call made no sense at all.

.

"It's really not important, "The voice sounded frantic now, "Miss Fabray is currently visiting Miss Brittany Pierce. Please, just call her and pass on the message."

.

"I won't pass on anything until you tell me who you are. Who is this?"

Finn was very vehement.

"Damn, "said the voice, "damn, damn, damn stupid rule of..."

It sighed deeply.

.

"You would probably recognise me best as Lord Tubbington, Miss Brittany Pierce's cat. Now please, the young lady in question is in serious need of assistance and..."

"You're a cat? How do you have a phone?"

"It's Brittany's, now please, just pass the message to Miss Fabray and please don't tell her who told you. I beg you, keep the secret."

"It's cool Lord T. My new best friend is a talking dog, so I'm not some sort of species-ist or whatever."

"So you'll pass on my message then?"

"Steffi, in trouble, near the park, got it! I'll call her mobile now."

"Thankyou Mr Hudson. Oh, and Mr Hudson..."

"Yes?"

"Please, never call me Lord T again."

He hung up.

Finn called Quin.

.

Lord Tubbington watched the girls hurl themselves into Quin's car and drive off FAST.

"A talking dog? Hmmph! "Lord Tubbington said to himself, "Just what the world needs!"


	23. Tears and Laughter

**A/N: OK, I removed whole chunks of plot and pasted them into documents ready to reinsert them when the plot bunny types more stuff. I had a whole different ending planned out which made use of some of the chunks I removed and suddenly found myself typing the last line of the dialogue and waking up and reading it and going... "Oh, that's interesting, I wondered how that was going to happen"**

**Reviews are wonderful, even just a kind thought during your day couldn't do too much harm to either of us, could it?**

**It's weird, but I can still hear Grandpa Pang muttering away in the back of my head (going "ooh oook, ducks!" a lot. *sigh*)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not a member of RIB. I don't claim ownership or rights over anything. Well, I own my car outright, so that's something I suppose.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

_He floated in a sea of stars._

_Above him, below him, all around him he marvelled at the silver points of light that stretched away as far as his eyes could see._

_He floated in space, weightless, calm, feeling no pain._

_Occasionally a star would streak past him like a spark, and he would feel its heat burn as it neared his skin._

_Sometimes the stars sang to him, those were the best times._

_He heard Kurt's voice many times, singing his soul to sleep, to life._

_He heard his Dad weeping, and laughing and talking to him._

_He heard the word 'love' a lot._

_._

_Sometimes the stars would shimmer and he would hear other voices too. Some of them might belong to those Glee Club losers, he thought._

_But if they were all losers, how could they sing so wonderfully?_

_Some voices he didn't know at all, or only thought he knew._

_One of those voices made him feel the same way Kurt's voice did. He felt more awake when he heard that voice._

_He wished he could remember what it had said to him._

_Sometimes he dreamed._

_He was floating above the football fields at McKinley. But it was night and no-one was there._

_He watched as the crazy ex-cheerio, Brittany tore a croissant into little pieces and walked through what looked a lot like a hospital, dropping pieces whenever she remembered she had them._

_He followed her all the way to a quiet doorway. But he couldn't follow her in._

_._

_Something about that room made him afraid._

_He felt pain, fear and suffering in that room. He was too scared to go in._

_He floated in his sea of stars, just outside the scary room._

_He wondered who was in the room, they must be really sick to have so many Doctors and Nurses._

_He wondered who it was, they must be really popular to have so many people visiting them._

_He floated some more._

_._

_Sometimes he wished he could remember who he was..._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Blaine's parents looked at each other as the sound of the downstairs toilet being flushed echoed through the house... again.  
>(Accompanied by high pitched giggles and Chinese and English mutterings)<p>

Everyone had decided that a picnic by the lake would be a perfect way to celebrate the visit of Grandpa Pang (despite it being a lake and not a river).

**FLUSH **_"swirly swirly swirly!"_

The quiche had hurriedly been augmented by a selection of salads and some chilled fruit drinks. Blaine had climbed up to the attic and found the picnic basket and a market umbrella and had brought them downstairs.

**FLUSH**_ "oooh, it swirls the other way too!"_

Kurt had received a call from his stepbrother and he and Blaine had made plans to return to Lima after lunch to check up on Steffi.

Blaine had been worried at first, but the news that Steffi had not one but THREE heroines on their way to rescue her (plus Carole AND Quinn's mom too) and that Santana's mom had cancelled her afternoon surgery (she was a GP) and was meeting them at the hospital meant that Kurt was able to convince him NOT to drive to Lima immediately.

**FLUSH** _"wheeee! You filled up faster that time, clever toilet!"_

"I may be an honorary girl Blaine, but in the face of that much woman power, even my fairy magic would be helpless! "Kurt batted his eyes at the dark-haired boy.

Blaine maintained his dapper exterior by dint of biting the inside of his cheek so hard he saw stars.

.

Finally everything was in Kurt's car (it was the largest so they were taking it), except for those things they were going to pop into the market on the way to buy (cold meats, bread rolls etc), oh... and a certain elderly dragon.

**FLUSH** _"I should get one of these installed back home, once we get running water of course."_

.

Getting Grandpa Pang into Kurt's car had been a struggle until he was enticed by promises of lunch by a lakeside.  
>They stopped off to purchase rolls and the like, and Kurt bought a few gallon-jugs of spring-water too. (Guess who for)<p>

When they finally pulled up to the lake it was almost noon. Despite the beautiful weather the lake was almost abandoned today and the Andersons (including their two honorary members) quickly found a secluded spot to pitch their blankets.

The lake was beautiful. Clean, sparkling water edged with reeds and grassy areas dotted with trees. Small islands dotted its surface and the sound of waterbirds quietly going about their lives could be heard.

Lunch was simple and wonderful and by mutual agreement no 'shop talk' was allowed.  
>Finally Grandpa Pang belched noisily and then raised an eyebrow at Mrs Anderson. She nodded and as soon as the family had packed their rubbish away, the conversation began.<p>

.

"It is so wonderful to see you again Grandpa Pang, "Elaine Anderson began, "But how on earth did you know that we were going to need you?"

The old man laughed, his eyes doing their disappearing trick again.

"Oh, I felt the world's reaction when your boy and his friend put those rings on. Who of the old blood could not? Old Mother Earth suddenly remembered what it felt like when Faerie was still touching her, and she laughed and giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. I'm surprised it wasn't on the news!"

Blaine and Kurt blushed and held hands surreptitiously.

"So it's the rings that are special then? Not us? "Blaine didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"Both are special silly boy! "Grandpa Pang shook his head. "The rings were not ordinary Godmother rings, that much is true – they are the original rings I think. "

He brought his face closer and closer to Kurt's hand, almost touching the ring with his eyelashes.

"Oh my! "He exclaimed, "Amazing!"

'What? "Kurt was alarmed now.

"You have incredible cuticles! You must give me name of your manicurist!"

.

Kurt stared at the old man in alarm until Pang stuck his tongue out at him cheekily, then they both dissolved into fits of giggles.

"You boys, SOOOOOOO serious! "Pang chided, "Life is too short to be so serious all the time. Besides, it's only life, it's not like it's a matter of life and dea... oh wait, my bad!"

Everyone giggled now.

"So, rings are special because they are the original rings worn first by Danu and her lover. Boys are special because... because they ARE special. Put two and two together and you get major explosion of gold!"

Mr and Mrs Anderson seemed confused by this statement. They were even more puzzled when it became obvious that Pang and the boys knew what the old man was on about.

"How many extra wishes you get? "Pang asked, "I have bet with Australian friend that it was more than Shakespeare got, much more. My friend says over a hundred, but I said 'Blaine is MY blood too', so I said it would be more than two hundred! So, how many, boys?"

"Eight hundred and seventy six."Blaine whispered sheepishly. "We counted the gold coins twice, each, to be sure."

Pang sat open mouthed.

"Wow! "He said finally.

"That's it? "Kurt asked, "Just, wow?"

"I could say 'gosh' and 'golly' too if you like"

.

Mrs Anderson at least had the experience of her parents to draw upon.

"Blaine, are you telling us you and Kurt received over eight hundred mini-wishes? In the form of gold coins?"

"Yes Mom"

"And where are these coins now?"

"Hidden behind the skirting board in Blaine's room Mrs Anderson"

"Lord Tubbington was surprised too. "Kurt whispered to Pang.

"HIM! "Pang snorted, "That cheeky old stick in the mud? He's back? Hmmph, I haven't seen him since the Queen was lost."

.

"Queen? Lost? "Blaine was confused.

"Not my mythology, "explained Pang, "Basically, three Faerie Queens, Queen-that-was, Queen-that-is, Queen-that-will-be, all very formulaic. Mabd was Queen until Faerie was taken out of the world. Then Titania was Queen. Then she went missing, no-one knows where she went. Queen -that-will-be? No-one knows till she show up. Everyone looks for Titania for centuries. Me, I say she's probably still embarrassed by the whole Shakespeare thing and is somewhere secluded reading a good book. Or playing with flush toilets, they are fascinating!"

"So we have several hundred wishes hidden in our house? "Mr Anderson said.

"Have you used any yet? "Pang seemed curious.

"Kurt wished for Dave Karofsky to not die from his wounds, and he seems to be on the mend, even if he is still in a coma. He wished for a homeless guy to become really lucky, and that not only seems to be working out for him, but he's been helping a whole lot of other people too."

"Blaine wished for a dog to be able to talk to people, so that someone we know who really needed a friend would have someone to talk to. It seems that now the dog can talk to anyone, or anything, well anything alive. I caught him chatting to some pigeons in our back yard this morning."

Blaine looked at Kurt in surprise.

"Really? I just wished for him to be able to be a real friend to those who needed one and be able to talk things over with them."

.

"Ah! "Pang exclaimed, "Problem is in the wording of the wish. Not that it is a real problem. Your wishes are powered by your love remember. So wishes will always try to give the best possible outcome they can. Plus, your love is very very very big, so wishes can be a bit overboard too! Wishes powered by other emotions are tricksy. Remember all those stories about Genies and careless wishes punishing their captors? Wouldn't have happened if they used love instead!"

"I suppose that helps to explain how we managed to wish for something simple when we didn't even know about wishing for our powers, and wound up with such an array." Kurt smiled.

"What powers did you wish for boys?"Elaine Anderson was curious, "You never did get around to telling me the details."

"Well, we kind of mixed our wishes, but in effect, Blaine got _Faerie Speech_, the ability to talk to animals and some sort of weird superhero power thing. "Kurt smiled at his boyfriend.

"I really don't know where that one came from, "Blaine added.

"Who do you think of when I say the word 'HERO' to you? "Pang asked seriously.

.

Blaine blinked and thought for a second.

"Don't THINK! Answer!" Pang growled in mock ferocity. "Boys these days, think, think, think!"

"Well... my first thought would be ...Kurt."

Kurt smiled shyly and blushed.

"Then...? It's a sort of mad mash up of... mostly Spiderman, a bit of Doctor Who and...and ...mumble." Blaine blushed and looked uncomfortable.

"What was that last one dear? "Kurt raised a brow. He thought he might know what would embarrass his friend so much.

Blaine sighed.

"Harry Potter."

"Well, you're certainly as strong and as fast as Spiderman now..." Kurt pondered.

"No web shooting thank goodness though, it might be icky. "Blaine also spoke his thoughts.

"...and your ability to be in the right place at the right time is pretty Doctor-ish. "Kurt had become hooked on the series thanks to Blaine.

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other, had a sudden thought and shook their heads.

Kurt hesitated.

"Try it!"

Blaine held out a hand and looked at a bottle of soda sitting in the cooler on the other side of their blanket.

"Accio Soda!"

Nothing happened.

.

"Oh well, "said Kurt, "You'll have to be content with being a SpiderTimeLord then!"

Blaine smiled dorkily.

"I don't think I'd be able to date anyone who had weather referencing scar tissue on their face anyway. "Kurt drawled, and Blaine dissolved into a serious fit of giggles.

.

"So Kurt..."Elaine Anderson turned to him.

"I got _Faerie Glamour_, Shape-shifting, as you already know, and some sort of weird 'Machine Speech" power. Although they don't just talk, some of them start coming alive, it's freaky."

"Is that why we had to let your phones sit on the seat between us on the drive here? "Asked Mr Anderson.

"I think Blaine's phone may have a crush on mine."

Grandpa Pang exploded in laughter.

"It's true, it's true! "He exclaimed, "You live for forty thousand years, you think you have seen everything, and then... "

He just pointed at the phone in Kurt's pocket and then rolled over and OFF the log he was sitting on.

"Oh! "Pang wheezed, spindly legs waving in the air "That's a good one!"

.

Finally he sat up.

"Well, is a good thing I come here then. You will need tutoring. I can teach Kurt about changing shape and _Glamour_, and can teach Blaine about super strength and _Speech_. "Pang grinned toothlessly. "Yay for me!"

"How did you get here so fast Grandpa Pang? "Blaine asked something he'd been curious about all day.

"I was coming here anyway silly, "Pang answered, "Was visiting old friend in Australia when we felt the magic shake. Usually I can take the time to swim most places, but this time, I flew!"

"Oh that's right, River Dragon, "Mr Anderson nodded, "So you can fly too?"

Pang nodded.

"Yes, can fly like all Chinese Dragons, but this time, flew Qantas Business Class from Uluru."

"Were you visiting your friend there? "Kurt asked, recalling his Geography lessons from Dalton. "Is Uluru where that huge red rock in the desert is found?"

"Yes, "nodded Pang, "My friend is there."

"What sort of creature is he, or she?" Blaine asked politely.

"My friend, "Pang repeated carefully, "is THERE."

"Sorry...? "Kurt was confused.

"My friend...IS, there."

Kurt understood.

"Your friend IS...Uluru!"

"Yes, "Said Pang, "She is a good friend. You could say our mateship is 'rock solid'!"

Pang laughed so hard he fell off his log again.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Paul Karofsky was finishing his story about Dave.

"...and then the other scouts had to pay for a replacement tent!"

Jeff and Nick laughed.

Paul laughed too, and looked over to his sleeping son.

"I'm sure it's only a matter of time till he wakes up Mr Karofsky, "Jeff said quietly. "The Doctor was saying before that his brainwaves have definitely evened out, and his physical healing has been nothing short of remarkable."

"She was making 'Wolverine' jokes about it, "Nick added.

.

Paul Karofsky looked at the two well dressed boys sitting together on the armchair.

"Not to be personal boys, but I'm curious, are you two...?"

Jeff laughed before the question was finished.

"We're not a couple Mr Karofsky, just best friends since we were seven."

"I'm actually straight, believe it or not, "Nick added. "I'm just artistic, sensitive and metro-sexual I guess."

Jeff snorted. "And I'm gay, but ever tho butch, thimply no-one could ever gueth. "

Jeff affected a lisp and a limp wrist and both boys dissolved into fits of giggles.

"Nick isn't even my type! Physically I mean."

"You prefer them blind don't you? Or at least mentally impaired enough to find you both physically appealing and conversationally adequate!"

.

Paul shook his head. It seemed that to these young men, sexuality wasn't some sort of cross to bear or cause to celebrate, it was just another thing they could make jokes at their friends' expense about.

It was actually quite refreshing he thought.

"Boys, could you mind the fort for a few minutes. I just need to stretch my legs, make a few calls and maybe visit the little dad's room. Ok?"

"Sure Mr Karofsky, "Jeff smiled at him.

.

"I wonder if they let sons in the dad's room?"Nick asked Jeff, "I kinda..."

"Go! "Jeff pointed out the door, "Go now. And if you've ever loved me, bring back coffee!"

"From the rest room? "Nick made a face and then caught the pillow Jeff threw and put it on the other chair. He left laughing.

.

.

Jeff sat back and looked at the still figure of Dave Karofsky.

"So what's your real story big fella? "He asked him softly.

"What did you do to upset Kurt so much he had to run to Dalton? And more importantly, what did you do after that that was so special that he not only forgave you but has done all this for you?"

Jeff looked over to the sparkly roster Brittany had made, she had recently added a collage of dolphins to the top of it.

Jeff reached for one of Dave's hands. The injuries he had borne on them had faded almost to nothing.

.

Dave opened his eyes and looked at the room, unable to focus.

Jeff looked into his eyes.

He could see... stars?

.

Dave focused on Jeff's face and stared into his warm brown eyes. A look of confusion and worry came over his face.

Before he could try to speak Jeff smiled and spoke to him.

"It's ok David. You haven't lost your memory, we've never met, ok? Your Dad had to run to the restroom. I'm a friend of Kurt and Blaine, we've all been kind of keeping you company while you've been healing. I'm going to call for a nurse ok?"

He reached for the call button. A large muscular hand stopped him before he could press it.

.

"Mrs Hummel?" Dave's voice was husky and breaking from disuse.

"Carole is fine. She's safe and well, you saved her. You're everyone's hero you know."

Dave rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"mmacoward annaloser, "He mumbled.

Jeff shook his head.

"You were willing to give your life to save Kurt's step-mom. That makes you a hero. And there have been over fifty volunteers sitting by your bedside, non-stop, twenty four hours a day for almost an entire week. Kids from both Glee Clubs, kids from McKinley who wanted to pay you back for forming the Bullywhips and making them feel safe for the first time ever. Teachers, parents. Even that scary woman who coaches your school's Cheer squad was here reading you her memoirs. By the way, good choice to wake up now, she had you down as a volunteer for her human cannon if you weren't out of the coma by September."

"No, "Dave whispered quietly, "I'm a bully and a liar."

"Kurt told us you used to be a bully. Most of the people who came here knew that. They forgave you. You should forgive yourself too."

Dave blushed and a tear ran down his cheek.

"I'm still a liar, "He said quietly, his voice empty and tired.

"So tell the truth then."

.

Dave looked at Jeff for a long time. Jeff thought, his eyes look so sad and kind.

Dave closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back into Jeff's.

.

"I'm gay."

.

Jeff felt his heart kick as he heard the terror and sorrow in those two words.

He couldn't think what to say, not yet, not fast enough.  
>He reached out his hand and touched Dave's face gently.<br>Words came suddenly from somewhere inside him.

"It hurts to say that doesn't it. Like tearing open your soul. But at the same time, you feel so free and light too, right?"

Dave nodded.

Jeff continued to speak softly.

"I understand what you are feeling now, ok Dave? I know we've just met, but know this, I am here for you. I have been where you are now. I won't try to tell you it's all plain sailing from here on in, but it will be better if I can find it in my power to make it better, ok?"

.

Dave wept gently, his eyes shimmering like starlight again.

His hand slowly came up to grasp Jeff's as Jeff wiped Dave's tears way with his fingers.

Tears fell from both boys like a rain of silver sparks.


	24. A Few Home Truths

**A/N: Hello! Me again. Finally the two opposing forces of life and the inner plot bunny have come to an agreement and I've been able to get another chapter down (and more importantly, EDITED)**

**Hope this doesn't dissapoint anyone, I find it a little different from some of the earlier chapters, but I can at least see where it came from. Where the heck it's all going is anyone's guess though!**

**Reviews are like chocolate for me! (and long comlicated reviews that anaylse every little detail are like Crunchy, gooey fudge brownies with walnuts in them!)**

**Hopefully next chapter should be out sooner rather than laterm but my weekend is already filling up fast, so lots of late night typing for me I forsee!**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not claim copyright over anything. I merely wish to exercise my inalienable human right to dream.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Quinn Fabray was feeling safe and comforted in the arms of her mother.

Within moments of the three girls arriving at the hospital in Quinn's little Ford, Steffi had been whisked away by the hospital staff for an alarming battery of tests and checks. Her moans and harsh, pained breathing in the car had frightened Quinn more than she wanted to admit.

Santana and Brittany had also been upset.  
>When the girls had arrived at the park's edge to find Steffi collapsed beneath a tree and Pete holding her hand, Quinn was the one who had <em>persuaded<em> (i.e. shouted at her until she complied) Steffi to get into the back seat and had slipped in beside her to hold the frightened young girl.

She had tossed her keys to Santana, who had looked at them for a brief moment, then handed them to Brittany and gotten into the passenger's seat. At the look from Quinn, Santana had just shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly and told Quinn,

"Hold on to your chicken fillets Q, you've never driven fast till you've driven with Britt in a hurry."

.

Santana had been right.

As Santana held one of Steffi's hands from the front seat, Quinn had held on to her seat belt, and the rest of Steffi, as Brittany put on a display of precision driving that would make the stunt show at Universal Studios look totally lame.

The strange thing had been, no matter how fast Brittany seemed to take a corner or approach an intersection Quinn had, after the first few frantic minute of total terror that is, felt relaxed and safe.

(Well, as safe as she could feel crammed into the back of a small car that was streaking through the back streets of Lima at speeds approaching ninety miles an hour.)

Even the traffic lights seemed to be on their side.

.

Santana had called the hospital to warn them of their arrival, and then called her mom to ask her for advice. When Santana explained about Steffi, and the fact she didn't HAVE a GP to get records from, Mrs Lopez had immediately cancelled her afternoon patients and was heading to the hospital to meet them.

.

Finn had called Quinn again.  
>Santana had answered him and relayed his message that Carole, who had been out shopping with Quinn's mother, Judy, was now also on her way to the hospital.<p>

.

When the hospital staff had finally persuaded Quinn to let go of Steffi so she could be examined, Quinn had been near to collapse.  
>So many memories were flooding into her at this situation, as well as so many fears about what might be going wrong.<br>The sound of her mother's voice and the smell of her perfume as Judy had wrapped her arms around her daughter allowed Quinn the safe place she needed to burst into tears.

Now, they sat in the waiting room, Quinn and her mother holding each other, while Santana rubbed small circles into Brittany's back and Carole held her hands, both trying to explain to Brittany what was actually happening.

Brittany was crying too, muttering something about "The baby can't breathe properly but she's not ready to come out yet."

.

Santana's mother had listened to the blonde girl and then used her status as a Doctor to go talk to the team examining Steffi.  
>Carole had looked at Santana, who had just shrugged a shoulder (again) and whispered, "Brittany sometimes says things that make sense, even if you don't know why."<p>

Carole just nodded, it wasn't that much weirder than the things she had already been forced to accept.

.

No more discussion was possible as a hospital administrator came over with a clipboard full of forms at that point.

The girls filled the forms out as best they could.  
>Quinn had managed to finagle Steffi's full name out of her as well as getting a list of those medicines and foods Steffi was allergic to.<br>(She has realised that if anything were to go wrong, they would need this information FAST, and Steffi might be in no condition to give it)

The arguments started when it came to the form dealing with the costs of treatment. It was Judy Fabray who finally put her foot down and signed the form.

"I need to do this girls, "She said with tears in her eyes, looking at Quinn, "I failed my daughter once already, and maybe by helping this poor girl I can start to make amends for letting my beautiful and innocent girl down so badly."

Quinn had just cried some more and held her mom tightly.

.

As the girls sat and waited for news of Steffi, a wave of activity and excitement ran through the staff they could see.  
>Several nurses and doctors actually ran down the corridors towards...<p>

...they were running towards the ICU.

They were running to where Dave Karofsky was still lying in a coma.

.

.

The girls were torn.  
>Finally Quinn and her mom agreed to stay for Steffi while Carole, Santana and Brittany ran to see what was happening with Dave.<p>

.

When they got there they could see two of the Warbler boys sitting on chairs outside the unit holding each other. Jeff was crying, while Nick held his friend tightly and managed to stop his own tears from actually falling, somehow.

The girls thought the worst. Carole gasped painfully and clutched her chest.

At the sound, Nick and Jeff looked up and saw the ashen faces.

Jeff shook his head at the stricken women and smiled though his tears.

"No... NO... he's... Dave's fine, he's awake. I'm just being all soppy and over-emotional about it. He's... he's awake and he's going to be OK now. I promised him he would be."

Nick conveyed with a look that he too had no real idea what Jeff was talking about.

.

A Doctor came out and smiled at the assembled crowd of staff, patients and visitors.

"He's fine. So far all the tests indicate that he's suffered no permanent damage, and his physical recovery remains as freakishly fast as it has been."

The Doctor turned to one of the ICU nurses and whispered something to her, then he left.

.

The nurse came over to the small group clustered around the chairs.

"Hi guys, "she said, "Dave and his father have asked for a little privacy, just for now, so I'm afraid no-one will be allowed in to see him for a couple of hours, ok?"

Carole nodded her understanding, "Could you just tell him we're all so very glad he's finally back with us. I'm going to ring Kurt and Blaine and tell them now."

The nurse nodded, smiling.

"I'm surprised those two angels weren't here when the miracle finally happened, "she joked.

Santana and Brittany began contacting the other members of the 'vigil roster'.

The nurse turned to Jeff and Nick.

.

"Mr Sterling? Jeff isn't it?"

Jeff nodded, puzzled.

"Dave has asked if 'the blond dude who woke me up' would be present when he talks to his father, you can go in now if you like."

Her face seemed puzzled also.

Jeff nodded, understanding at once what Dave was planning to do. He smiled at the nurse, and at his highly confused best friend.

"I guess I forgot to introduce myself properly! Oops! You go back to Rachel's house Nick."  
>(The Berry's had offered their spare rooms as places for the out of town people to crash while visiting the hospital)<p>

Nick's face asked a silent question.

.

"I'll grab a cab back there as soon as I help Dave do what he needs to do, OK? "His face asked its own question of Nick, asking him to not voice his suspicions or queries.

Nick suddenly understood.

"I think, "He murmured, "Based on what we've seen of Mr Karofsky during this week... I think Dave will be ok too." He smiled at his friend and squeezed his hand.

The two boys noticed Santana looking at them as she listened in to their conversation.

The Latina smiled at them. It was a far different smile than her usual 'bitch smirk'.

She nodded gently to Jeff and whispered in his ear, "I'm glad Dave had found someone to talk to about this, but if you hurt him... razor blades in my hair... tons of them!"

She winked to defray the harshness of her supposed threat and returned to Brittany, who was now babbling something about pastry and stars and silver sparks all around the bird boy.

.

Santana decided they needed to go get Brittany an apple juice or something.

Jeff went into the hospital room and closed the door behind him.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was throwing rocks at his boyfriend, as hard as he could, while Blaine tried frantically to dodge or catch the missiles.

.

"...and THIS one is for all the damage you and your obsession with hair gel do to the environment!"

**THROW**

"Ow! That one stung!"

"Oh, man up Anderson, don't be a whining Fairy."

.

Blaine narrowed his eyes at Kurt after that last remark.

.

"You probably have _Fae_ blood in you too you know Kurt, isn't that a bit 'pot/kettle' that last dig?"

"That has yet to be established Fairy boy! "Kurt flung two stones in quick succession, "and anyway, who ever said that calling you a Fairy was intended as an insult?"

.

Blaine deftly caught both rocks and dropped them onto his growing pile.

"Don't forget young master, Blaine is also Dragon! Be careful not to tease him too far, we River Dragons can be ruthless combatants in tickle fights you know!"

.

Grandpa Pang was sitting high in the branches of a tree watching the mock battle going on before him.

.

.

The boys and the dragon had decided there was no time like the present to begin their training sessions.  
>Mr and Mrs Anderson had gone for a walk around the lake while the old man tested the limits and facility of the boys' powers.<p>

"Ok Blaine, "Pang called out from his perch in the tree, "time to throw Frisbee now! Remember the rules Kurt!"

Kurt nodded briefly and prepared to catch the Frisbee.

Blaine sent the plastic disc soaring towards the lean (and very sexy) figure of his boyfriend.

As Kurt leapt for it his body shimmered and a greyhound landed with the disc in his mouth. Changing back Kurt threw the Frisbee to Blaine and set for his next catch.

Each time, before Kurt caught the orange plastic, he transformed into a different creature. A quick array of various canine breeds was followed by more exotic animals.

.

When Kurt transformed into a leopard Blaine almost fell to his knees in admiration.  
>Pang giggled to himself as Leopard!Kurt stalked across to his awestruck boyfriend and proceeded to rub against him.<p>

Blaine caressed the warm, sleek fur, revelling in the feeling of the muscles rippling beneath the black and orange spots.  
>Only Kurt's eyes remained unchanged, their startling, opalescent bluegreen/grey shining out from above the wicked teeth and powerful jaws of the jungle killer.

Blaine had never been quite so turned on by a dangerous wild beast as he was right now.

The leopard pounced, catching Blaine off balance and landing on top of him. As its jaw moved towards Blaine's exposed throat it shimmered again and Kurt was suddenly lying on top of Blaine with his lips tracing the path the leopard's tongue had just traced seconds before.

Blaine shuddered with excitement, and the two boys kissed passionately.

"I'm going to have to Google when we get home, to find out what this sick kink it turns out I have is called. " Blaine grinned into the kiss.

"I could try to be a baby penguin if that will cool you down Blaine." Kurt grinned back at him.

"Don't...you...dare!"

.

.

The two boys spent a few moments enjoying snuggling before they were interrupted by two things.

First they heard more impressive giggling from Grandpa Pang as he perched high in the tree which was cut off suddenly as he overbalanced and disappeared from view with a loud crash.

"I'm ok... I'm ok! I meant to do that, really... um ... there is interesting ground-cover plant down here... yes ...most interesting, just wanted to examine more closely."

The boys clutched each other as they dissolved into giggles.

The second interruption was far less amusing.

.

A loud sniffing noise broke into their laughter and Blaine and Kurt turned to see five teenagers standing on the path at the edge of their clearing.  
>The group were staring at the boys as they lay on the ground on top of each other.<br>The pretty, but bitchy looking red-head who had sniffed at them did so again, a look of disgust and anger on her pinched face.

Her black haired friend crossed her arms and glared at the boys, her body language communicating her reluctant support of the Queen B.

The three large thuggish football types accompanying them had looks of anger on their faces too.

The ringleader sniffed pointedly again.

.

"Don't you hate it when our beautiful lake is polluted by disgusting trash? "She drawled.

Kurt glared at her, while Blaine started to pull away from him, recognising the boys with her.

"Hey, it's that fag Anderson! "A tall blond boy glared at Blaine, "I guess we didn't convince him to keep his faggy ways out of our town after all."

He cracked his knuckles and the boys slowly began to advance on Kurt and Blaine.

Kurt looked around for more rocks to throw, as Blaine still seemed frozen from the shock of seeing his old bullies.  
>All he could feel were three small lumps of hardness in his jacket pocket.<br>Oh, Kurt thought, the pebbles Blaine had caught the day Carole had been attacked, this was the first time Kurt had worn this jacket since that night and he had forgotten he had slipped them in there.

The bullies were halfway across the clearing. The girl sniffed loudly again and Kurt snapped.

.

"Got a cold sweetie? "He asked, giving her his best bitch glare, "Or perhaps the empty space inside that cheap dye-jobbed head of yours is fogging up with the humidity today."

The girl laughed cruelly, "I just smell something that stinks is all, FAG!"

.

Kurt lost it. He stood up to face the football thugs who were now only a few yards from him.  
>As he drew the pebbles from his pocket he wondered briefly what exactly it was he thought he could achieve with them, but he seemed to be operating on automatic now.<p>

.

"If anything stinks around here it's you lot, "He countered, "In fact, you all smell exactly as rotten and foul as your souls really are."

.

Kurt drew himself up to his full height and glared at the group menacing him and Blaine.  
>He drew his arm back to throw the pebbles.<p>

"If there was justice in the world, everyone else would be able to smell your rotten, putrescent soul too, until you learn to be a decent person again, instead of a cheap trashy whore with knockoff shoes and a tiny, closed mind!"

.

His eyes seemed to flash as the footballers drew their arms back to charge the two smaller boys.

.

.

Kurt threw the pebbles, each one striking one of the approaching teens.  
>At the same time the red haired girl shrieked and her friend stepped away from her gagging.<p>

The three thugs stopped in their tracks.  
>One dropped to the ground and began to twitch and foam at the mouth as another sat down and began to giggle uncontrollably.<br>The third boy started walking in circles and began to wander aimlessly.

Blaine and Kurt gagged as the red-head rushed towards them. The stench was almost palpable.

"What did you do? What did you do to me you..."

Her smell became even worse, something Blaine hadn't believed was possible.

.

The girl ran out of the clearing, leaving her three friends on the ground.  
>The black haired girl looked at the boys and smiled shame-facedly.<p>

"I'm so sorry, "She said softly, "Lee can be a real cow sometimes."

She looked at her male friends who were still suffering from some sort of seizure.

"I'll take them home and get them to a doctor."

"They will be alright by morning, "Grandpa Pang's voice was calm and soothing as he emerged from the undergrowth, "Just let them rest. Neither you nor your friends will feel the need to speak of this to others, will you?"

His voice was like molten gold.

"No, we will not speak of this to others."

.

The girl seemed dazed now, and she gathered her friends and left.

Pang, Kurt and Blaine watched her leave.

"I will go find the other girl and make sure she will not speak of this, "Pang said calmly. "I suggest you call Elaine and John and arrange to pick them up from wherever their walk has taken them, then we should return home at once, we have much to discuss."

Blaine nodded, and he put his arm around Kurt who still seemed shaken and confused.

.

Kurt turned to look into the warm honey eyes of his beloved, and the sparkling black eyes of the ancient dragon-in-an-old-Chinaman's-body.

"What did I do? What...How..." He was shaking like a leaf. He clutched Blaine close to him and sobbed into his chest.

"Blaine, what did I do to them? What am I becoming?"

Blaine closed his eyes and shook with him.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

"...that's fantastic news Carole, "Burt smiled as he listened to her voice on the phone, "Finn is going out to tell Dog about it now. You called Kurt straight away? He and Blaine will be on their way back soon I guess and I know they'll want to go straight to the hospital to see Dave."

Burt sighed and rubbed his head in his habitual nervous gesture.

"...You'll hurry home too? "He asked hopefully, "We still need to discuss what Kurt dropped on us this morning remember?"

Carole replied that she was already turning into the street and would be there in less than three minutes.

"I'll make you a cup of tea then."

.

Burt hung up and reached for the kettle and the box of imported tea Kurt had decided to buy for the family that month. Carole had decided she loved it. He laughed as he heard excited barking coming from his backyard.

As the burly mechanic pottered around the kitchen rinsing the teapot and getting cups, saucers and strainers from various cupboards and drawers, Finn came back and smiled at his step-father.

"You actually look like you know what you're doing Dad! "He laughed in surprise.

Burt changed a saucer so that the entire set matched and looked at Finn with a wry smile on his face.

.

"Kurt has been teaching me how to have 'tea parties' since he was _two_ Finn, "He smiled as he remembered his son's obsession with 'high tea', "Even a lummox like me gets the idea eventually."

"Plus, "he added, "I may not be a great cook like Kurt, or your mom, but I actually DO possess a small amount of manual dexterity you know. Engines don't put themselves together, well, they might now, if Kurt talks to them just right I suppose."

Finn's brow creased as he remembered what Burt had said on the phone.

"What did Kurt 'dump' on you and mom this morning anyway? Is he in trouble?" Finn looked concerned.

"He wants to go stay with Blaine in Chicago while Blaine is doing his four week gig at Six Flags. "Carole's voice chimed over the sound of her handbag being placed on the table in the hallway.

"I don't think Finn needs to know Kurt's business, "Burt huffed as he hugged his wife.

.

Carole smiled at Finn, "I think he might be able to offer us a perspective that might break our deadlock."

Burt rolled his eyes while Finn looked at them both nervously.

"I didn't break the lock, "He said, "I'm sure it was like that already."

Carole laughed at him while Burt just grinned as he measured the fragrant leaves into the porcelain teapot Kurt insisted they use for AFTERNOON teas.

"Want a cup Finn?"

Finn thought about it, he couldn't remember ever drinking tea before.

"Ok!"

.

They sat down out on the back lawn where Dog was currently sleeping in the shade.

"Remind me to tell him about Dave when he wakes up,"Carole said.

Finn smiled, "I already told him. He did a couple of flips, said he wanted to visit him and then passed out. I don't think he's gotten much sleep in the past few days."

They sipped their tea. Finn tried his black.

No.

Milk and sugar?

Yes, not bad actually.

Burt turned to Carole.

.

"I don't feel comfortable letting Kurt go all the way to Chicago, for four weeks with only his boyfriend for company. Staying in some sleazy hotel? Alone? Not on my watch."

Carole laid out her arguments.

"One, Kurt and Blaine could afford to BUY a five-star hotel outright if they wanted too, remember Burt? So they won't be staying in some sleazy cheap boarding house. Two, I think we all have to admit that if there are two people in the world who would be totally safe alone in a big city it's those two. Burt, you didn't see Baby Bear, if anyone tried to mug Kurt, the BEST they could hope for would be Blaine throwing them through a brick wall. If they were truly unlucky Kurt would take care of it himself."

.

Burt shook his head at the thought of his son as a Grizzly Bear.

.

"Three, Kurt and Blaine are almost adults. Neither of them has any childhood birthdays left Burt. The next time we give either one of them a cake it will be their first one as a legal adult. When that happens we won't have any say at ALL in how they live their lives."

Burt shifted uncomfortably on his chair.

"I just don't like the thought of Kurt..."

He trailed off, too uncomfortable to even complete that thought.

.

Finn stared at his tea for a long time as an awkward silence descended, then finally he spoke softly.

"...Kurt and Blaine aren't having sex you know."

.

Burt spat a mouthful of tea over his own shirt and Carole looked at her son in surprise.

"Finn...? "She began.

"How the hell do you know? "Burt asked gruffly.

Finn glanced at their shocked faces for a second.

.

"Kurt and I talk about... stuff." Finn seemed reluctant to explain, but he continued.

"It started with me asking him for advice. I just needed someone I could trust to talk things through. Things I didn't feel like discussing with you or mom."

Finn was blushing by now.

"Eventually, Kurt started talking about ...you know... too."

Finn sighed.

"I was a little freaked out at first, but it turns out there really isn't much difference between a girl and a guy and two guys. Well, apart from mechanics, and I REFUSED to hear about that!"

.

Burt chuckled as he remembered forcing himself to read those pamphlets.

.

"And I suppose Kurt and Blaine can't make each other pregnant, so that's a bonus right there."

Carole suppressed a chuckle at her son's expense. Finn continued.

.

"Anyway, I don't think it's fair to keep making Blaine sleep on the couch when he comes over, "He looked at Burt apprehensively as he said this, "I mean, Kurt and Blaine have discussed the whole thing almost to death. Neither of them is planning to have sex. Not this week at least, probably not for months. They just want to wake up next to each other, that's all Kurt wants at least."

Finn smiled crookedly.

"I mean, I suspect they'd be making out a lot too, but neither of them is ready for serious stuff yet. " Finn seemed determined to get his point out clearly.

He paused as if thinking deeply about his next sentence.

.

"...Have you... have you noticed how often Kurt and Blaine touch each other when they aren't here?"

Burt raised his eyebrows.

"They're attached at the hip most of the time I see them, "Burt said, "Every time I turn around one of them is kissing or hugging the other."

Finn shook his head.

.

"No, that's when they are HERE. How often do they touch when they are out in public, or even at the Garage or a friend's house?"

Burt and Carole tried to think about it.

Finn answered for them.

"In the MONTHS they've been dating, I've seen them kiss _once_ when they weren't in this house. They sometimes touch each other's hands or let their feet touch when we're at Rachel's or at the hospital in Dave's room, but apart from that they never touch, they never express their love physically."

Finn seemed quite upset by this.

.

"I know Blaine is thinking of transferring to McKinley next year. But that's beside the point. Even if he does, when we go back to school they'll be able to see each other every day, But they won't ever be able to touch. Not even with the Bullywhips around."

Finn was getting quite worked up.

"It's not fair! Rachel and I can hold hands or put our arms around each other as we walk, or kiss at lunchtime in the cafeteria, but Blaine and Kurt can only feel safe to do that sort of thing when they are here, inside our home, with the curtains drawn."

His face was pale with his cheeks turning red now.

"I think that's WHY they tend to be all over each other here. Despite how it makes me or you feel Burt, I think this is their only safe place. The _only_ place they can be themselves without having to be afraid of what other people might do or say."

.

The young man looked Burt square in the eyes.

"I heard you telling Kurt one time that he had to obey the same rules I did with Quinn and Rachel, but I don't really think that's fair."

.

Burt blinked as he watched Finn growing up before his eyes.  
>Carole was weeping with quiet pride.<p>

"I'm still a kid really, "Finn blushed as he admitted it, "Although I'm the one who isn't a virgin out of me and Kurt."  
>Finn blushed more as he remembered the disastrous night with Santana, and the aftermath.<p>

"I'm a teenage boy with a girlfriend, "He explained, "But Kurt and Blaine are both different. They're special, they're more like you and Mom. They're more like a married couple already."

Burt's eyes widened, but he had already begun to suspect that might be the case. Finn was winding down now.

.

"I just think we need to cut them some slack. You can trust them. I'd trust either of them with my life. They are really, really good MEN. I know I treat Kurt like my kid brother, but really, he's the one who looks after me. I... I just..."

Finn sputtered out, like he'd run out of gas.

.

Burt and Carole looked at Finn as the sun began to shift towards the late afternoon.

Finally Burt spoke.

.

"Kurt isn't the only good man among my sons, "He said simply.


	25. A Swimming Lesson Still Waters Run Deep

**A/N: Hello all! Well, I decided that what I had gotten down was so hopelessly muddled that I needed to sit down and just write down each plot line and then try to weave them all back together. Then when I had finished, I realised that writing each plot line out meant that it all made sense suddenly. Plus I never realised just how LONG each bit was. This is the first bit, the others are going to need more time sorry, I'm working long shifts at the moment (people are away sick) and I'm finally getting some sleep so the Plot Bunny has relented to allow me to catch up on needed rest. Hopefully the next two chapters at least, although they may take a few days to polish will be out prety soon after each other.**

**As always, I love reviews, esp long and detailed thought provoking ones. (By the way, Pang makes ME laugh too, I NEVER know what he's about to say or do. He really surprised me in this one, let me tell you. I had to go look stuff up to see what he was talking about. *sigh*)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a pool. I do live across the road and down a bit (about 3 minutes walk) from a public pool though. Oh, and I don't own Glee either. :(**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt Hummel sat on the edge of the swimming pool, trailing his bare toes in the water and staring fixedly at the tiles on the bottom.  
>His boyfriend and Blaine's mother stood in the kitchen watching him through the window.<p>

.

"...and Pang said the boys would be alright? "Elaine Anderson sounded worried.

Blaine nodded silently, his eyes never straying from the tense figure beside the pool.

"How is he? "Blaine's father asked as he brought the last of the picnic gear in from the car.

Blaine shrugged and looked unsure, "It's so damned hard to read Kurt sometimes."

.

Elaine Anderson rolled her eyes and glared pointedly at her son, waving her wedding ring at him when he continued to remain oblivious.  
>Finally he understood and blushed.<p>

Blaine concentrated on the ring he wore on his left wedding finger and stared at the forlorn boy with the wet feet.

"Fear... confusion... still a little anger... so... so very sad... a little amusement...she really smelled bad... and... "  
>His voice trailed away as Kurt looked up and stared straight through the window and into Blaine's soul.<p>

"I feel... he feels... Oh... KURT!"

.

Blaine's parents looked on, a little frightened, as their son was physically rocked by whatever he was sensing through the ring.

"Blaine... "His mother said softly.

Tears filled Blaine's eyes.

"Oh God... "He whispered, almost reverently, "so...so much... so much... I'm drowning in starlight... Oh god it hurts... I never want it to stop hurting... Oh Kurt..."

.

John Anderson placed a concerned hand on his son's shoulder but snatched it back as if burnt.

"Oh my God! "He echoed his son, his eyes blinking rapidly and his breath faltering.

"John? " Elaine Anderson caught her staggering husband and guided him to a nearby chair while Blaine continued to stare into Kurt's eyes from over forty feet away.

Blaine's father looked into his wife's eyes as he began to softly weep.

.

"I felt... I felt it Elaine, "He stammered out, "I felt Kurt's emotions... Oh God, it's like being caught in an ocean breaker. So much... so much LOVE... How can Blaine stand it? If he feels that all the time, how can he even think or speak?"

"He has a Dragon's capacity for love, of course!"

Grandpa Pang waddled into the kitchen as if nothing special was happening.

Elaine turned to him.

"Kurt and Blaine told us what happened..."

"Bah, they told you what they saw! What happened is something we shall determine now!"

.

The old man looked at Mr Anderson, who was still shaken by his brush with the reflected fairy magic.

"You care for your man here Daughter-of-Dragons, I will care for your boys there, deal?"

He took Blaine by the hand and led him to where Kurt sat.

.

.

Kurt looked nervously at Pang and began to cry, not sobbing or even weeping, just gentle tears running down his cheeks and falling like rain into the water of the pool.

Pang sat beside him and placed a bony arm awkwardly around his shoulder.

"Boys..."The old man began, "We must have serious talking now, so... let's go for a swim!"

Both boys looked at him as he changed the mood so abruptly.

"Swim? "Kurt murmured. "We need to discuss..."

"River Dragon! "Pang insisted, "Swimming is best thing to do while talking. 'Deep water for deep subjects', is old dragon saying ...or maybe something I see on Dr Phil? Plus, swimming is excellent exercise, builds toned and lean muscles without bulking up. Important factor to consider when you are slender beauty like the young master here..."

Pang's eyes were twinkling cheekily as he squeezed Kurt.

"...also important if you small hobbit dragon like my grandson!"

Blaine squawked indignantly while Kurt stifled a snort of laughter.

Kurt nodded to Pang, acknowledging the old man's attempt to lighten his mood.

.

.

A few minutes later the boys were enjoying the cool water as they swam in the late afternoon sunshine.  
>Pang stood on the edge of the pool and looked around carefully.<br>His shining black eyes missed nothing.

"I like this pool, "He said finally, "It is deep, clean, good aesthetic design, totally screened from all prying eyes and most importantly, BIG!"

"Why is being big so important Grandpa Pang? "Blaine asked as he and Kurt swam to the pool edge and looked up at their mentor.

The old man straightened the collar of his glorious silk robes and smirked at the boys.

"Room to STRETCH one's LEGS!" He shouted, his voice sounding like distant thunder as he leapt over their heads and 'bombed' the pool.

The resultant splash soaked both boys and blinded them for a second. It was as if a small mountain had fallen into the water rather than a skinny old...

The boys wiped the last of the splash from their eyes and stared.

.

A huge sinuous shape writhed and swam in the water beside them. Silvery scales edged and highlighted with every possible shade of blue and green, it must have been over eighty feet long, but it coiled endlessly around and over itself, constantly in motion so it was hard to tell exactly.

No wings marred the perfect symmetry.

At its thickest the body was never more than perhaps three feet in diameter. Strong rear legs, each with five deadly looking claws were found about a third-way along its length from the tapering tail, with forelegs almost as large found about a third-way along from the head. The head was long, like a horse's skull, but with flaring ears and long trailing horns. A beard of scales and skin adorned a huge mouth filled with wicked looking teeth. An enormous, luminescent pearl was embedded in the forehead of the creature, between, and slightly above the eyes.

The eyes...

The eyes were enormous. Huge black discs edged with a thin blue/green iris and flecked through with silver.  
>It was like looking at the ceiling of one of those shows at the planetarium, Blaine and Kurt thought simultaneously, a moving field of stars and galaxies.<p>

A long ribbon-like tongue lolled out of the dragon's mouth as it opened its mouth to display more, even 'wickeder' looking teeth.

.

"Not too scary I hope young masters?"

It was Pang's voice, but the querulous and reedy quality was totally gone.

"You're... so beautiful! "Kurt whispered without thinking.

"Your eyes are the same colour as Kurt's, "Blaine blurted out, "I mean, the edges of them, all blue and green and grey, and never static."

Pang looked thoughtful.

"Hmm, "He mused, "I do not sense any dragon blood in you Kurt, may I look more deeply?"

.

Kurt nodded and gasped softly as he was caught up in the coiling body and pulled into the centre of the pool.

Wrapped safely in the silvery coils Kurt felt himself relax as the huge eyes of Grandpa Pang's true form looked into his own.

.

"Lord Tubbington already tried to assay our powers, "Blaine called out, "But he didn't have much luck."

"Pah! "Pang seemed amused, "He is no longer what he was, that one, and even if he were, what he is... was...what he was or IS, no WAS nothing compared to what I were... was... am!"

Blaine blinked silently while the dragon muttered to himself about pronouns and the complexities of the English language.

"Grandpa Pang, "Kurt asked softly, "What did I do to those boys, and to that girl? Did I hurt them? Will they recover? Was that black magic?"

.

Pang stopped muttering and looked fiercely at the boy he was holding.

"Never think that young master! "He almost roared. "You protected yourself! You protected your mate! You did no lasting harm. You used your magic by instinct, and your instinct was pure."

"But what did I do?"

Pang thought about it for a moment.

"Well... he said tentatively, "Not exactly my mythology you understand, but..."

Kurt just looked up at him with utter trust.

"...I think you used _Faerie Curse_ power to make that girl stink. Whoohee! She smell like nine day old road kill baked in an old gym sock and sprinkled with that fancy cheese stuff. Bad! Must remember that curse, would be handy to impress some of the ladies back home!"

"_Faerie Curse_?" Kurt was lost.

"You never read story of _Sleeping Beauty_? Remember story? Baby having big ceremony for naming day. Fairies invited to give magical gifts, Wishes! One faerie, she get mad, feel insulted. Give baby curse instead of wish. Prick fingers and die when turn eighteen. Blah blah blah. But last fairy make things ok, change rules of the death wish to make it survivable. Only problem is, she make sleep only removable by 'true love's kiss', so Princess and all court have to sleep for HUNDRED FREAKING YEARS till true love is born and old enough to be allowed to kiss girls! Hee hee, rookie mistake!"

Pang shook his huge head and giggled.

.

"That was good curse you lay Kurt! Not too nasty a punishment. Not too onerous the way to remove it. Nice poetic symmetry between cause and effect. Almost professional job!"

"I don't understand." Kurt was even more confused now, at being PRAISED for harming an innocent...

"She was not innocent! "Pang roared, "oh, and I totally did NOT just read your mind there young master, OK?"

Watching a River Dragon attempt to imitate a Groucho Marx eyebrow waggle was an experience both boys honestly never thought they would ever have.

.

"She not harmed, just smelly. Smell is reflection of her inner rottenness. Smell will go away as soon as she learns not to be so rotten! Simple! Elegant! You would have won an award if you had done that when _Faerie_ was still attached to our world. They were suckers for that sort of thing you know!"

"So I used one of the mini wishes to do it then?" Kurt asked.

"No, all still there, I counted." Pang was grinning again.

"But we had them hidden..." Blaine trailed off.

"Dragon! "Pang smiled, "We can smell gold from hundreds of miles away."

Kurt paled.

"Oh my Gaga! David's wish! I wished that he would heal, be happy, and... find love...I've done a Sleeping Beauty! He might not wake up for months, even years, until his 'true love' turns up!"

"Or at least someone who has the potential to be his true love." Pang agreed.

"What have I done?" Kurt was crying again.

"Don't worry! "Pang said forcefully, "I have a feeling it's all going to work out sooner than you think. We Dragon's can sense these things you know!"

The dragon smiled.

"Besides, we all still awake. Tradition is that EVERYONE goes to sleep when Beauty does."

.

Blaine comforted Kurt with a look.

"And while Dave might be considered a hottie by certain guys I know, "Blaine joked, "I can't really find it in myself to call him a beauty, sleeping or otherwise."

Kurt grinned at his goofy boyfriend.  
>He was tempted to ask WHO Blaine might be referring to when he said they'd find Dave 'hot' but he decided to change the subject instead and not dwell on yet another mistake he had made.<p>

.

"So what about those three bullies then?" Kurt was worried again, "What happened to them?"

Pang nodded.

"You ever hear of the medical term...'stroke'?"

"I gave them a stroke! Oh my God! I..."

"No Kurt! Where you think term 'stroke' comes from? 'Elf Struck' or 'Elf Shot'. Symptoms of medical condition same as those reported when victim shot by the arrows or slings of the Fae folk. Confusion, memory loss, paralysis, babbling... 'Elf Struck!' It won't last long. Fae magic has variable durations. Depends on how much magic you power spell with. Permanent is rare, apart from Godmother wishes. Usual durations are: a year and a day; until after the moon has waxed and waned again or... you only put just enough magic into those pebbles to lay them out until the next sunrise. Most minor faerie magic fade at the next sunrise usually."

"So how did I get the power to do that then?"

"Remember your wish? You want to have powers of the Fae."

"But I though the _Glamour_..."

"Nope, you probably got more surprises in there I reckon! Openly worded wishes and enormous reserves of magical energy remember! You and Blaine did the magical wish equivalent of an unrefined search on Google and hit 'I feel lucky' about a billion times..."

Pang cocked his head as both boys looked at him.

"...hey! I am Modern Dragon. I surf the internet with the best of them. I can even HACK! Anyway! Who knows what you going to wind up with? This is so much fun! Best thing to happen to Society for centuries. No wonder she send you the rings Blaine. Danu was always right about these things."

.

"I still don't feel right about using Good magic to do something...questionable." Kurt seemed less worried now, but was still obviously upset with himself.

"Who says magic is Good or Bad? "Pang snorted, "Magic is magic. Power source is love, so magic WANTS to DO good, but the Society never forces all uses to be GOOD magic, only makes sure to give the power to GOOD people. And why do you think what you do to the bad boys, or to that bad girl wasn't good?"

Kurt just blinked.

"Evil, true evil is people who think that they have no consequences for their actions. It always starts small, then grows, and if no-one teaches that there is a consequence for the choices you make, eventually your choices can take you down some very dark paths indeed."

The dragon seemed sad now.

"You teaching that girl that the way she treats others, what she says, has a consequence. Before, she didn't suffer it, so she felt it was OK to continue being cruel and mean, now she is going to have to learn to think about other's feelings. At first it will be for her own, selfish reasons, yes, but same story is true for Good as for Evil. The further you walk the path, the more familiar it becomes, the more tempting it is to walk a little further. You just show that girl there is another path Kurt. Maybe she scared and angry now. But if she embraces this chance, who knows, one day she might become a Godmother herself, or Teacher, or Doctor or Winner of Nobel Peace-Prize."

"As long as she never decides to become a hairdresser. "Kurt shuddered, "That red dye job, ugh!"

Blaine snorted at the seriousness in Kurt's tone.

.

.

"Now, let me look at you, see if I can find new powers for you both!" Pang looked into Kurt's eyes.

"Yes, "Pang nodded finally, "You have more Fae powers alright. _Glamour_ is getting stronger, almost as good as mine! Can make _Elf Shot_ now, use wisely, can be dangerous. _Curse_ is same story, but is linked to your emotions, so probably will only be used when you really need it. These things tend to work out you know. Also... ooh! Hee hee! That one will be a surprise! Promise me you will go dancing in the snow when winter comes Kurt. "

"Why?"

"No reason."

Kurt flashed his diva-glare at the dragon.

"Ooooh, you good at that! Last time I saw a glare that bitchy was that silly monk who asked me to pretend to be a horse all the way from China to India, and BACK! Ow, he had a bony ass let me tell you! They got that story, and my name, all wrong you know in the end."

.

Blaine shook his head.

"Did you see if you could sense anything about Kurt's bloodlines?" He asked.

"Don't teach your Grandma how to suck eggs Blaine!" Pang responded.

"But you're my Grandpa, Grandpa Pang, and I love you! "  
>Blaine decided he might as well match Kurt's bitch face with his patented puppy-pout.<p>

Pang stared at the pair.

"You two call ME silly?"

All three giggled.

Pang subsided first.

.

"Kurt IS a descendant of Danu, on his father's side. You two shared an ancestor about nineteen, maybe twenty generations back I think. His mother's side... hmmm, that's interesting. Will hold off till I have a chance to think about it all, ok?"

The boys had to be content with that as Pang refused to be drawn further on the matter.

.

"What about Blaine? "Kurt asked, "Could you check his powers out? See if anything is developing for him?"

Blaine found himself held in the dragon's coils next to his boyfriend.  
>Pang and Blaine lost themselves in the other's gaze.<p>

Finally Pang blinked.

"_Animal Speech_ is deepening. Soon you will find you have surprises there too Blaine. Your Superhero thing... interesting. You really were thinking of so much as you made that wish. That is the reason you and Kurt can share each other's powers you know. You thought of him as you made the wish, and the magic connected you even deeper than usual. You are getting stronger and faster, I see that. Healing? Regeneration? Hmm, must remember to start watching this Doctor Who show, powers you get from him very interesting. Subtle but powerful. Going to make your video game playing interesting for you too! Also, don't forget I see how sad you were at lunch when the bottle didn't fly into your hands..."

Pang snorted at the surprise on the boys' faces.

"...oh please. I have satellite television! I watch movies too. Harry Potter is totally awesome! No, you don't give up Blaine on Mr Potter. Do me a favour, make sure you help tidy up when your mother asks, ok? And young master Hummel? Make sure you send me photograph! Or video, ok?"

"Why?" Baline asked.

"No reason."

.

Ancient Chinese River Dragons must get their jollies being infuriatingly inscrutable, Kurt thought.

Pang nodded.

"And I totally didn't read your thoughts again there either!"

Blaine looked at his boyfriend and they rolled their eyes at each other.

.

"Now, "said Pang, "Most pressing and urgent need is to teach you and Blaine how **NOT** to use your _Speech_ and _Glamour_ powers."

Blaine looked puzzled.

"Why is that so urgent?"

.

"You are planning to go to Chicago soon, yes? To sing at big theme park, yes?"

Blaine nodded.

"When you use _The Speech_, people do whatever you tell them, yes? They fall in love with you a little, yes? And the more you feel what you are saying, the deeper they are affected, yes?"

.

Blaine and Kurt both nodded this time, still confused.

"If you don't learn to control _The Speech_, what you think going to happen next time you sing a passionate love song in public to several thousand people in a darkened theatre at an amusement park, hmm?"

Blaine turned almost as pale as Kurt.

"Oh God... I would be totally scre... "

"YES! " Pang nodded and smiled wickedly, "You WOULD be!"

.

.

Elaine Anderson's voice called out from the back door of the house.

"Kurt! Blaine! Carole is on Kurt's phone. She says it's important. Dave Karofsky is awake. He's awake boys!"

Pang snorted.

"I told you it would work out!"


	26. For The Truth Shall Set You Free

**A/N: Ok, it's been a while. Damn life, always getting in the way. This is a **bit** of a filler to be perfectly honest. But it's what came out of my head, and some of it needs to get out of my system and into yours so that the ground is prepared for the developments in the pipeline.**  
><strong>Thanks so much for all the reviews etc, (and the mesages, soooo many messages!) - esp those people who take the time to really think and offer their understanding of what I've done.<strong>

**One handy hint for reading my stories (esp some of my older ones, like" In Sleep He Sang to me") - read them aloud.**

**I tend to think in SPOKEN WORDS a lot. That's why sometimes I will have random _italics_ or **bold** (see what I did there?) or CAPITALS in a sentence. (esp in dialogue) - like director's notes to the actor.  
><strong>

** - among my many many careers is that of professional actor, so HOW a sentence is _emphasised_ is as important to me as the words chosen.  
>Shakespeare wrote a lot of his plays like that (or so go a few of the theories), with random Capitalisations and even extra vowels to show characters FEEEELING a little more than just normal. (Juliet is infamous for extra "e"s everywhere in her speeches. eg "Oh mee!")<br>**

**(Go to the Shakespeare and Company website and have a look, I have worked and taught with alumni from there many times and their theories and practices are well ingrained in my being)**

**Damn, now I'm in danger of the author's note becoming longer than the chapter.  
>How embarrassment! (the older Aussies will get that reference)<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not a writer on Glee, I am not an actor on Glee. Sometimes I experience the emotion "glee" but I don't think that should count.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave Karofsky felt like he'd been run over by a truck.

Actually, to be more accurate, he felt like he had been beaten with chains and fence palings to within an inch of his life by five drunk and drugged up street thugs.

Dave had very little memory of the attack.

_He remembered leading Carole Hudson into a makeshift hiding place in the half-buried cement pipe._  
><em>He remembered trying to lead the guys looking for her off and having to fall back to prevent them going after her when one of the men had heard her muffled sobs.<em>  
><em>He remembered the moment he had realised that no matter how bravely he and Dog fought, their defeat was only a matter of time.<em>  
><em>He remembered the moment he had decided to give Carole one last chance to get away.<em>

He had focused his thoughts on Dog as they fended off their attackers, asking him to relay his message to Carole. Dog had understood and had complied without argument, although his emotional pain had almost made Dave reconsider.

Dog had told Carole to wait. Dave planned to wedge his body into the end of the pipe, forming a living barricade against her foes. Carole was to wait for the moment when Dave fell to the onslaught. When the men were busy trying to pull his body from the pipe, Dog would attack them and drive them back one last time. Carole was to take that opportunity to slip out the other end and run for Dave's house, while Dog did his best to slow her pursuers.

Carole had cried when she realised that Dave had already resigned himself to death.

But he hadn't died.

Or had he?

_Dave remembered floating in starlight. He remembered Kurt's voice calling him back, a summons he simply had no power to refuse._

He remembered pain.

.

Wasn't pain something you weren't supposed to be able to remember? He was sure he'd read that somewhere.

He knew he had been unconscious for almost a week, at times, close to death.

He had been told that people, lots of people, people he barely knew had rallied around to keep him from being alone. He thought he could remember their voices, their presence.

Each person had been like a star, shining in the blackness in which he had found himself.

_He remembered voices singing, but he could only identify a few._

.

He knew his Dad had been with him many times.

He remembered Carole Hudson's voice as she had cried and stroked his battered face.

He remembered Mercedes Jones threatening to paint his nails pink if he didn't wake up soon.

_He remembered..._

.

He remembered hearing Kurt several times.  
>Those times were best.<br>Those were the time he had been closest to the surface, closest to waking up.

He remembered hearing Blaine speak softly to him, and the touch of Blaine's warm, calloused fingers on his hand. He had almost opened his eyes then too.

.

He remembered another's touch, and another's voice.  
>A voice he hadn't recognised, until he found himself swimming up from his pool of stars and looking into the warmest, kindest brown eyes he had ever seen, shining beneath a flop of blond hair.<br>He had felt the boy's fingers on his hand too, burning his skin but not hurting him, like sparks from a campfire.

.

He had told the boy his secret.

.

Dave knew he could so easily run away from all this. He could feel the darkness lurking behind him, offering him safety, oblivion...escape.

He looked at the cute blond who was nervously shrugging his shoulders at the confused face of Paul Karofsky and glancing over to catch Dave's eyes.

.

Dave remembered the tears he had shared with those brown eyes.

Dave stared at the boy, his face a mask of stoic resolve. He pushed his feelings away. They hurt too much.

The boy frowned at him, Dave knew he was doing something wrong and for a moment his resolve wavered and raw emotions flitted across his face.

The boy watching him relaxed a little and nodded slightly.

Ah, Dave thought, lesson number one in 'How to be gay', don't close off your emotions – no matter how much they scare you...

.  
>Dave began to wish the truck would come back and run over him again.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Kurt Hummel was watching water bead on the golden skin of Blaine Anderson and run down his body to the ground.

Oh, Kurt thought as his eyes followed the droplet's slow journey south, that's right – that's why I like boys.

.

"Again Blaine, but this time you must try to convince Kurt to give you the towel WITHOUT engaging the power of _The Speech_!"

Pang glared in mock ferocity at the wet, curly headed boy who frowned back at him in frustration.

"_The Speech_ doesn't even WORK on Kurt Grandpa, "He whined slightly, "How am I meant to know whether or not I'm using it if there are no effects to observe?"

Kurt agreed silently with his boyfriend, but refrained from saying anything aloud, being yelled at by an impatient river dragon reminded him just a little too much of his time with the Cheerios.

"I can see the power Blaine, "Pang sighed, "And you should also be able to see or hear, or at least FEEL when you are using it. If you have not managed it yet, it will simply require a little more patience and effort. Now, once again, arm your most potent 'puppy dog eyes' and prepare to force Kurt to give up the last dry hair towel using only your natural charms. _The Speech_ may not work on the young master, but you are my many-times-great grandson, and I expect you to master the art of pouting and flirting shamelessly to get your way like countless generations of your honourable ancestors have done before you!"

"And if I succeed?"

"Then we do it again, but you start to let your magic become involved when I tell you to."

"Grandpa Pang, "Kurt asked suddenly, "Why doesn't Blaine's _Speech_ work on me? Is it part of our general immunity to faerie magic?"

.

Pang wrinkled his brows. Since he was still in his dragon form this was much more impressive than it had previously been.

"You are not immune to magic Kurt, merely more powerful than most ordinary Fae. One of the great ones could still affect you. Remember, you didn't see through my _Glamour_ when I hid in your car, although I must give you credit, you knew SOMETHING was not right didn't you?"

Kurt nodded.

Pang continued, "As for immunity to Blaine's _Speech_, well, think about it. If he could use his magic to trick or unfairly influence you, that would put your relationship on an uneven footing, yes? The magic will not let you deliberately hurt each other. Remember your wishes, your magic follows the SPIRIT of the rules, not the LETTER."

Kurt thought he understood.

.

"You mean, I couldn't hide Blaine's keys from him with an illusion, but if I wanted to show him an image of something I hadn't been able to take a photo of, I could make him see an illusion of THAT?"

"Exactly young master! "Pang seemed pleased, "No hard or fast rules, only what will be for the best. The magic is meant to make your life easier, not give you a headache trying to sort out the rules and regulations. There is a reason you are called Faerie _Godmothers_ rather than Faerie _Lawyers_."

Blaine frowned a little, "But Lord Tubbington seemed so upset about breaches of protocol..."

Pang giggled.

"That one? Protocol? Oh my! He has changed."

.

Pang waved his claw and a wave rose from the pool and drenched Blaine who had been drying off in the sun.

"No more chitter chatter! You NEED that towel Blaine! Time to practice NOT using magic. Begin to sweet talk Kurt!"

Blaine blinked as his hair was soaked through, again.  
>Kurt stifled a giggle, he was already exhausted from Pang's earlier session with his powers.<br>Although both boys had wanted to rush straight to Dave Karofsky's side when they heard the news of his awakening, Pang had insisted they take a few hours to train first, and to let Dave and his father have a chance to talk.  
>After an exhausting session seeing just how fine a control Kurt had over his <em>Glamour<em>, it was now Blaine's turn to bring his persuasive _Speech_ fully under his conscious control.

"It's just really hard..."Blaine began to whine, although he was trying to stop himself from doing so.

"You think this is hard? "Pang retorted, "Try being a River Dragon and sitting on long-haul flight from Australia with only one aeroplane toilet! _That_ is hard!"

.

Kurt blinked and dissolved in a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Pang asked.

Kurt just nodded helplessly and tried to stammer out an explanation.

"I think you remind him of his old Cheer coach, "Blaine said, deciphering Kurt's breathless giggling with practiced ease.

Pang looked at Kurt who had by now turned bright red and was still twitching slightly.

.

"Ok, Pang knows when Pang is defeated. You two go change, get dressed and drive to Lima to see this boy you wish back to life. Neither of you are concentrating anyway!"

Blaine and Kurt smiled and began to gather their things from the poolside. As they turned to Pang they saw he had returned to the form of an elderly Chinese man again.

"...but when Blaine has all his clothes torn off by an adoring enspelled mob at the Six Flags, don't come whining to me!"

Blaine smiled at the old man.

"We'll keep practicing Grandpa, I promise, and you'll be joining us in Lima soon anyway, won't you?"

Pang nodded.

.

"Is either that or Kurt must try to find you clothing with fewer buttons so fans can get you naked without damaging clothes." Pang seemed almost serious, but for the cheeky glint in his eye.

Kurt thought for a moment, "We could probably use Velcro, replace all the seams. Yes, that would work, it would just be underwear that would prove tricky..."

Blaine stared at his boyfriend who looked back at him perfectly seriously, then Kurt's bottom lip quivered and he collapsed in giggles again.

.

A few minutes later the boys were dressed and had made their goodbyes to the Andersons. Pang insisted they needed to take more of the gold 'wish' coins too, although he wouldn't explain why.

.  
>Kurt and Blaine continued to tease each other as they headed to Kurt's car. Pang listened in as Blaine opened the passenger door and got in.<p>

"What about snap fasteners Kurt? Or press studs?"

"How about I just get some body paint and paint your clothes on Blaine? I think I just might able to live with that, and your adoring fans will appreciate us having so much consideration for their limited time!"

Blaine's blush extended to his fingertips, which of course set Kurt off into a fit of laughter again.

.

Kurt's bell-like giggles still echoing in the Pang's ears he had smiled and gone in to the house.

He needed to speak with Elaine and John Anderson in a few moments.

First, however, there was the downstairs toilet to play with, and then... well, it turns out, there were bathrooms UPSTAIRS too!  
>.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

_Steffi was losing the baby._

_She was going to die and the baby would die with her._

_Dave Karofsky was dead, his body finally giving in to the terrible beating it had endured._

Somehow... it was all Quinn's fault.

.

Quinn sat in the waiting room of the Lima General Hospital and tried to stop her careening mind from creating more and even scarier scenarios of disaster and doom.

_.  
>Dave had woken up from his coma, but was now permanently crippled, or brain damaged.<em>

Quinn shuddered at the thought of the footballer losing so much.

_Sue Sylvester was going to take his broken and useless body and shoot it across the football field._

Quinn shook her head at the thought. Her mom leant across the plastic seats and squeezed Quinn's shoulder.

.  
>"It's going to be alright darling, "Judy Fabray whispered gently, "Steffi is in good hands now, and I'm sure Santana and Brittany will be back with the news as soon as they hear anything about David. He's a good guy, he was a real hero. God won't let him suffer, he'll be alright, you'll see."<p>

Quinn just shook her head to herself, no matter how much she wanted to believe that, her faith in the justice of the universe had been snapped beyond repair with the events of the past two years. Things wouldn't turn out OK just because you wanted them to. People who were good and kind still got hurt, or worse. Forgiveness was just empty words. A slate could never be cleaned enough to remove your past mistakes.

Quinn Fabray didn't believe in magical thinking any more.

.

A bustle of activity from the corridor leading to the ICU coincided with Quinn's phone displaying a message.

As she slowly pulled her phone out and saw that the message was from Santana, she could hear the crying of several nurses from the group that had entered the room, and she managed to catch snatches of their conversation...

"...a relief for the poor father..."

"...I thought it would be so much longer before anything was to happen, either way..."

"...I guess this means we're going to lose that beautiful music..."

.

Quinn's hands shook as she opened the message.

DAVE AWAKE – NO DMG TO BRAIN SO FAR – NO VSTRS TILL 2MRROW –BRNG BACK PIZZA 1/2 HR 4 U & THE MOMS

.

Oh, Quinn thought, good news... how on earth is one supposed to deal with THAT?

.

Dr Lopez (Santana's mom) came into the room, shaking her head slightly. She noted at once that Brittany, Carole and her daughter were missing.

"They went to check out what was happening with Dave Karofsky, "Judy said, "There was a bit of a commotion just after you went in. I still don't know..."

Quinn held up her phone.

"Dave woke up, he's checking out fine so far, but isn't receiving visitors until tomorrow. Santana says they're going to go get pizza for all of us and be back here in half an hour."

Judy smiled at Dr Lopez.

"Santana is such a good girl, always thinking of others."

.

Quinn and Dr Lopez exchanged a look of amusement.  
>They both knew the fiery Latina much better than Quinn's mother did.<br>Quinn frowned for a few seconds though. Santana was a complicated person, and far from a saint.  
>She was a great many things really, but... actually, that description was in no way inaccurate.<br>Santana _did_ care, a lot.  
>Quinn thought fleetingly of Santana's 'big secret'. If only Santana knew how many people had already guessed it... guessed it and accepted it.<p>

Dr Lopez smiled and nodded towards the obstetrics ward.

"You can go in and see Steffi if you want to. She's a bit groggy still, but we've stabilised her for now. Thank God I went to high-school with her consulting, he was willing to listen to me and my crazy theories."

"What was wrong?" Judy asked breathlessly.

Dr Lopez snorted and rolled her eyes. Ah, thought Quinn, that's where Santana gets that gesture from.

.

"Brittany was right, as usual, the baby had turned a little in the womb and the cord had gotten tangled. Ordinarily that wouldn't have been a problem until the delivery, but somehow it got pinched and the baby was slowly being starved of both food and oxygen. "

Judy and Quinn were both wide-eyed at this.

"Because he listened to me so fast, we had time to examine the problem with an ultrasound scan, and then we... performed a radial procedure. It was a little crazy, but I figured if Brittany had been right about the breathing, she was probably right about the 'not ready to come out' part too, and he wanted to perform a C-section then and there. Standard procedure in cases like this, but I had a gut feeling of my own so..."

"What did you do?" Judy was curious.

Santana's mom smiled a wicked smile and looked more like her daughter than she had ever looked before.

"Percussive maintenance."

Quinn boggled as she worked out what Dr Lopez meant.

"You mean you..."

"We didn't hit her, "Dr Lopez added hastily, "We just found the right spot and... pushed forcefully. The baby reacted the way babies always do, and turned away from the outside stimulus, unpinching the cord and settling back to normal. Dr Masson now thinks I'm a witch, or Brittany is, or someone."

"But how on earth could you know where the right place to push WAS?" Judy was shocked.

"I watched where Brittany was touching her abdomen as she was babbling. I know there is no scientific explanation for anything that girl does, but in the years my daughter has known her, that I have known her, I've come to understand that you never assume anything Brittany says is nonsense, no matter how crazy it is. She just has a very... _different_ way of seeing the world"

"And Brittany can sure bring the crazy when she wants to, "Quinn smiled at the thought of her sweet but ditzy friend.

Dr Lopez smiled too.

.

"I used to ask Santana to bring her to the children's ward sometimes. I worked there before I went into private practice. The kids won't always, can't always, tell you what you need to know. But a few hours of playing with Brittany and she could rattle off their symptoms like a professional. Sometimes it took a bit of deciphering of course, Brittany doesn't always communicate on the same wavelength as the rest of us. One time it took me a day and a half to work out that the four year old with 'sneaky black spiders hiding in his freckle' might have had a secondary tumour undetected in one of his moles. I checked it out and sure enough, we'd missed it. He would have gone through weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment and then as soon as we let up on the medication the cancer would have metastasised from that secondary location and killed him all over again. We operated the day we found it, and I went to his Bar Mitzvah last week. He's been clear for seven years now."

Judy was amazed.

"Have you studied this gift of Brittany's?"

"No, "Theresa Lopez seemed resolute. "Brittany doesn't need people prodding and poking her. She is a gift to us from God, I believe that with all my heart. I am willing to take whatever she can give us and will always listen to what she has to say."

"She can say some pretty strange things sometimes." Judy had hosted quite a few 'extra practice' sessions at her home when the three girls had all been Cheerios.

"But she never lies, "Dr Lopez stated, "She may not be speaking sense, but she always tell you the truth as she sees it in the world. It's one reason you have to be careful how you speak to her. She doesn't really understand sarcasm or metaphor, or lies, she takes whatever you say as the literal truth. Her innocence is frightening sometimes, and other times..."

"...you wish you could remember how to be so pure and clean too." Quinn sighed slightly and smiled a sad smile at the understanding in Theresa Lopez's eyes and the confusion and concern in her mother's.

"Let's go see Steffi."


	27. Cry a River From Your Tears

A/N: Here at last. A little shorter than other recent chapters, but this is how long it finally turned out to be, and I think it deserves to have the space to itself and not be forced to share.

Reviews are like wonderful, as always. Detailed reviews make me really feel special.  
>Please be gentle with this chapter though, this one is REALLY close to my heart.<p>

DISCLAIMER: I don't assert any claim over Glee or seek to profit from it in any way, except in a strictly 'personal growth' sort of way that is.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

"Do you know why he wants you here Jeff?"  
>Paul Karofsky looked a little confused as he whispered to the blond warbler, but the overwhelming emotion visible on his face was still relief.<p>

Jeff Sterling shrugged his shoulders and glanced nervously at the figure of Dave Karofsky who lay in the hospital bed the way he had been doing for the past week.  
>No, not like the past few days – this time, he was awake.<br>Jeff smiled at that thought.  
>For some reason he still couldn't put his finger on, Dave Karofsky being awake was news that made him feel very warm and happy inside.<p>

Dave's face was a storm of emotions, but as Jeff glanced across he saw Dave pushing anger and nervousness into his face, subsuming the other emotions.  
>Jeff found himself frowning at him.<br>If you shut yourself off, you'll never find the courage to do what it is I think you want to do, Jeff thought to himself.

It was as if Dave could actually hear his thoughts...

.

The large, muscular figure on the bed shook slightly as Dave made a visible effort to relax his clenched jaw and un-pinch his forehead.

Jeff's mouth twitched into a wry smile as Dave rolled his eyes in a way that positively screamed 'just kill me now'.

.

Dave had really beautiful eyes, hazel and green and still full of stars, plus, those eyebrows – talk about perfectly shaped...

.

Jeff blushed as his thoughts ran away from him and he turned his attention back to the burly figure of Dave's father who still stood beside him, saying...um... something.

.  
>"...I know the Resident in charge wanted to ask me about something, so if you could stay with Dave for a few minutes, I'll just race out and schedule a time for him to come and talk to Dave and me."<p>

Jeff really wished he'd been listening for the last few minutes, instead of losing himself in impossible fantasies about Dave Karofsky and those beautiful eyes...

.

Damn, Jeff thought, I'm going to have to apologise to Blaine now.  
>I finally understand what he was going on about when he kept raving about 'drowning in the oceans of Kurt's eyes.'<p>

Damn.

Jeff realised that the man beside him had stopped talking, and was now simply standing there watching Jeff stare like some creepy stalker at the body of his son as he lay on the hospital bed.

The very tall, broad shouldered, kind of cuddly looking bod...

DAMN!

.

Jeff nodded brusquely to Paul Karofsky.

"Happy to help sir, if you're sure I won't just bore Dave back to unconsciousness with my prattling."

Paul smiled at the handsome blond boy, "Don't worry son, I'll be back before you run out of news to catch Dave up on."  
>He walked over to the bed and whispered briefly to his son, then rushed out.<p>

Jeff stood near the door and shuffled nervously from foot to foot.

Dave stared at him, his face a sea of emotion again.

"How do I do this? "Dave asked simply.

"You are going to come out to your Dad then? "Jeff bit his lip nervously, "I thought you might be thinking of that. But why do you need me here? Shouldn't this be a private moment for you and your Dad to share? You can't really want a gangly twink like me hanging around."

The sea of Dave's emotions began to toss and roil even more vigorously.  
>There was a pause as Dave struggled to find the words to convey what he wanted to say.<br>Finally he simply began with the first thing to strike his mind.

.

"What the hell is a twink?"

Jeff blinked. He really hadn't expected that to be the thing uppermost in Dave's mind.

"...um ...it's a term used to describe a guy, usually a gay guy, who is... um ...skinny, young... not exactly the manliest of guys... often a bit too much hair product..."

Jeff ran his hand over his body to indicate himself.

"...in short, Kurt, or ...me!" Jeff smiled self-deprecatingly. "The human equivalent of a Hostess Twinkie, yellow and fluffy and with no real substance to speak of."

Dave snorted.

.

"Kurt's a lot more of a man than I could ever be, "Dave's eyes were serious, "And as for you? You're not skinny and... whatever, I can see the muscle tone from here."

Dave stopped talking and blushed as he realised what he was saying.

Jeff blushed too and found his grin growing despite his attempt to remain serious.

"Are you flirting with me David Karofsky?"

Dave didn't return the smile.  
>Instead, he looked... lost.<p>

.

"I... I don't know?" He finally murmured softly. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"I've never really flirted before... I don't know how to...I mean... I've never..."

Jeff came over to the bed and sat in the chair beside Dave, so the boy wasn't forced to look up so far to maintain eye-contact.

"Well, if you were intending to flirt, then you were doing an excellent job." Jeff tilted his head to one side. "But I just can't believe you never had someone flirt with you. Maybe not a guy, not in Lima I know, but... not even girls?"

"Well, a few girls have flirted, but that's just because I'm a jock, and we sort of rule McKinley. I've never really flirted back though, I mean, it just felt...wrong. You know, and it's not like anyone would ever actually want me for me. I'm just a fat loser who sweats too much and will be bald by the time I'm thirty."

Jeff found his hand was already wrapped around the fist Dave had clenched and was beginning to hit his leg with.

"Careful Hero, you'd really regret it if you made those bones move again." Jeff felt Dave's hand gentling at his touch.

"Who was it that hurt you so bad? Who made you hate yourself so much?"

"I deserved it. What I did..." Dave sighed deeply, "Just leave it at that."

Dave's self-deprecating smile put Jeff's to shame.

"I've never really done... anything. Never flirted, never dated. I was too scared to admit it to myself. It's been years since I began to realise I was..."

.  
>His voice trailed away.<p>

Jeff placed his other hand around the hand already holding Dave's fist.

"I know big guy, I know, "He smiled softly, "At first you realise that somehow you're different from your friends. Then you start to realise WHAT that difference is. Then you start worrying about all the hassles your life is going to fill with if you let yourself go down that path..."

Dave nodded, grateful that the blond boy had the words to articulate the pain inside Dave's heart.

"...then you grieve over all the things you're going to lose, or miss out on. Kids, marriage, being able to flirt with someone sexy without having to make sure you don't get the crap beaten out of you..."

Dave snorted again.

.  
>"But Dave, trust me. It does get better. The first few steps are scary I know, but eventually you'll realise that everyone deserves a shot at happiness. That there are people in the world who will love and care for you. That somewhere out there is a guy who doesn't even know that someone as amazing as you is just moving through the river of time towards him. That guy is in for one hell of a treat you know Dave. You just need to be brave enough to keep swimming towards him."<p>

Dave blushed again, and leant back into his pillow.  
>A look of pain passed across his face.<p>

"You ok" Jeff was alarmed.

Dave nodded slightly, "The Doctor was explaining it all to me and my Dad, but I kind of zoned out a little. Apparently I'm held together by surgical pins and duct tape inside here..."  
>He gestured to the dressings and bandages that hid the scars forming across his body, both from the attacks and from the surgery to mend the damage.<p>

"...They managed to repair the blood vessels, and pin the broken bones. I fractured a few vertebrae too. The Doctor says I'm lucky I can still breathe, let alone walk. I'm going to be stuck in this bed for weeks, assuming I don't roll over in my sleep and re-break my neck or something equally as dumb. My football career is over. Not that I could have kept playing once I join the homo train. I suppose it's a blessing really. At least I won't ever be able to hurt someone the way I hurt Kurt.

Jeff tried to stop his curiosity from showing on his face but it seemed that Dave had somehow become an expert in reading his thoughts just by looking in his eyes.

"I want to tell the story to my Dad too, can you hold out for that?"

.

Jeff flushed with embarrassment again.  
>Dave squeezed Jeff's hand back.<p>

"I'd really appreciate it if you could just be here when I talk to my Dad. Maybe if you're here he won't lose it too badly... I won't lose it so badly. I know he loves me, and I know it should be alright, but..."

"It still scares you, "Jeff nodded, "I know. I practically threw up when I was trying to tell my mom about me being gay. She'd never been openly homophobic or anything like that, but I was so sure it was going to kill her with the shock. When I finally managed to get the sentence out, she just held me while I cried and told me that she loved me. Then, when I was calm again, she asked me to allow her five minutes to 'freak out in a completely insensitive and non-supportive way' to make sure that any lingering doubts were out of her system. Then after she stopped crying she made me a rainbow cake and helped me take down all the girlie posters I'd put up in my room to help keep suspicion at bay."

Dave laughed at the image Jeff's story conjured in his mind.

Jeff nodded seriously. "My mom is a really cool woman you know. Well, for an old person."

"How old were you?"

Jeff smiled, "I was fourteen. I've been out for three years..." He looked at the date on his watch, "...Oh my God! Today! Three years ago TODAY! Freaky!"

Dave found his eyebrows arching with disbelief.

"I'm serious man! "Jeff insisted, "I'll get my mom to talk to you right now if you don't believe me!"  
>Jeff reached for his phone.<p>

.

Dave was about to speak when the door opened and his father came back in.  
>Jeff removed his hand from Dave's before Paul came far enough into the room to see it and watched silently as Dave's dad sat in the chair across the bed from him.<p>

Paul looked at his son then reached out to take his left hand, taking care to avoid the intravenous lines that snaked in and out of that arm.

Dave closed his eyes for a second then looked his Dad in the eye.

"Dad... I need to tell you something... about me. I need to tell you why I really got expelled for threatening Kurt."

Paul reached out and stroked Dave's face tenderly.

"It's alright son, I think I can guess. You don't need to..."

.

"Yes he does."

.

Both Karofsky men turned their shocked gaze on the nervous figure of Jeff Sterling who sat clutching the side of the bed with white knuckles.  
>Jeff looked at their expressions and gulped.<p>

"Please, both of you, believe me. Dave, you need to SAY the words. Mr Karofsky, you need to HEAR Dave say it. I know you're both just trying to do this painlessly, but trust me Dave, you NEED to say it. I don't know HOW I know this, I just do. Please..."

Paul Karofsky looked confused again, but before he could speak his son's voice, rough with disuse and emotion stopped him.

.

"Dad... I'm gay."

.

Paul felt time stop, just for a second.

He looked at his son's face.

Dave looked... surprised.

Paul could see the fear and apprehension flickering across in rapidly increasing cycles, but over everything he saw Dave's face lighten, as if an enormous weight had been removed from him. It reminded him of how Dave's unconscious body had finally lost the tension and pain it had held in every inch of it's being before the Doctors had been confident enough to administer more than the bare minimum of pain relief in those first few frantic hours after the attack.

Dave saw the shock that went through his father.  
>He saw the tears forming in his father's eyes.<br>He saw...

Dave closed his eyes.

He didn't want to see any more.

.

.

.

"You were right, "Paul Karofsky said quietly to Jeff, "I did need to hear the words."

Dave held himself very still. He opened his eyes again, but couldn't bear to meet his father's gaze.

"David, "Paul said gently, "I love you. I have always loved you. I always will."

Dave felt pain as his injured body shook with emotion.  
>He felt his father touch his face again, even as Jeff reached out and gentled 'The Fury', opening his fist and holding his hand still and calm within his own.<p>

"Dad... I'm so freaking sorry... I tried to... I just can't help it, I am so sorry."

.

Paul continued to speak as he stroked his son's tear-stained cheek.

"I love you Dave. You have nothing to be sorry for. You are my son. You are my son. You are a gay man. You are my son. There's nothing I can see that could make me love you any less in any of this. I LOVE you Dave. I will help you in whatever way you need me to. I am so damn proud of you right now. It took so much courage to say that, I can see it. Oh God, Son, I knew you could never do or be anything that would make me love you one single atom less, but I didn't think it was possible for you to do something that could make me love you more. But you did."

.

Jeff sat watching both me cry. His heart was going to burst with the love he could see before him.

Paul tore his gaze from his son's eyes and looked at Jeff.

"You were right. Thank you. I did need to hear the words. God bless you for being here for both of us."

Dave also looked at Jeff.

"How did you know? I never realised it would... Oh God, it feels so damned good! Dude! How did you know? Is it always like this or are you some sort of freaking angel too?"

.

Dave's vice trailed away and a look of what could only be described as horror crossed his face.  
>Both Paul and Jeff grew concerned. Had Dave felt something tear or snap inside him? Was he about to ...<p>

Dave looked at his father, then his gaze flew back to meet Jeff's warm, brown eyes.

"Um... dude. I... I just realised something really, really important... oh Jesus, this is so freaking embarrassing."

Jeff frowned slightly and leant forward, ears straining, as Dave's voice dropped to the merest whisper.

.

.

"Dude... what the hell is your name?"


	28. So much Bigger than it seems

**A/N: Me again! Hope everyone in the Eastern Seaboard of the US is safe and dry. I have some friends there and I'm thinking of them.**  
><strong>Thankyou so much to all the people who review my story, esp the regulars! Just getting those notifications and messages makes my self esteem feel all massaged and less shrinked.<br>See who can list the sources for the...well, you'll recognise some of them I'm sure, have a go! (spoilers, you have to read on to find what I'm talking about)  
><strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not Ryan Murphy, or Brad or Ian. I'm not even Dante. I'm me, and that'll do for now.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

"...and another thing Kurt, what the hell are we listening to?"

Blaine Anderson was sitting in the passenger seat of Kurt's Navigator, watching out his window as the sun began to dip towards the horizon and the glorious June day began to think about changing into its 'after five' evening wear.

Kurt was driving, humming along to the catchy but unfamiliar tune playing on the car radio.

Blaine turned from his observation of the sun's movements and gazed at Kurt as the boy bopped his head and concentrated on the other traffic on the road.

.

Oh God, Blaine thought, he is so damned... beautiful.

.

Kurt's eyes darted to meet Blaine's for a split second, and a blush rose up his long neck until his face was tinged with a delicate pink heat.

"Eyes on the road Mr Hummel! Be a good boy!"

Kurt raised one perfect brow as he focused ahead once more. His eyes narrowed slightly as he made an effort to deliberately 'think' something.

Blaine blushed this time as he picked up the image Kurt was sending.

"Kurt! "He sputtered, his cheeks flaming, "You are so... that's just...naughty!"

Kurt snorted a small laugh.

"You'd love it Blaine."

.

Blaine continued to blush, but a small smile crept onto his face in spite of his best efforts.

"I don't think that would be an appropriate use for our Dalton ties though." Blaine was trying not to giggle, "And wouldn't doing THAT be bad for your hand? I wouldn't want you to get a blister or anything."

Kurt smirked as he drove. "We could take turns then, just to protect our hands of course."

Blaine shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  
>Kurt's flirting was going beyond the level they were accustomed to.<br>Not that Blaine was afraid of doing... what Kurt had sent a mental picture of, in fact it might be a lot of fun.  
>It was just that...<p>

Kurt looked over to his boyfriend again, his eyes filing with concern.

"Blaine? I'm sorry if I went too far. If it is making you this uncomfortable we can change the subject."

Blaine looked at Kurt, who had returned his eyes to the 'safe driving position'.

"I love you, and I want to try these things with you, I'm just... I'll be ready soon, I guess... I hope..." He trailed off, chuckling ruefully.

.

"Who'd have thought that I would be the one who was pressuring you to go beyond your safe zone when it comes to... that stuff."  
>Kurt frowned as a car overtook him, cutting dangerously close to the front of the Navigator as it narrowly avoided the oncoming traffic. "Oh for the love of Gaga, I can't even say the word now."<p>

"One day Kurt, we are going to have sex." Blaine grinned as Kurt let out a gasp at his words. "Amazing, mind-blowingly awesome, 'oh my god I can't ever move again', wonderful sex."

Blaine smirked now as Kurt blushed deeper than he had.

"But not today please, "Kurt joked, "I had a facial yesterday, I don't want to sweat too much."

Blaine laughed and touched Kurt's leg in a friendly gesture, not a sexual one.

"I think it's wonderful that you feel safe enough with me to even discuss sex. But we don't need to rush into anything, we're going to be together for a long time Kurt, and I want to take these steps slowly. I still have my own personal issues too you know. In many ways, I'm even more of a baby penguin than you ever thought you were."

Kurt dropped his hand from the wheel for a second and squeezed Blaine's hand.

"As long as we are talking about it, I'm happy."

.

Blaine grinned. "As you wish."

Kurt flicked him a glance. Oh, he thought, THIS game again.

Kurt smiled at Blaine. "You complete me."

"To me, you are perfect"

"I'll never let go. I'll never let go."

Blaine smiled a secret smile. "I came here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time."

Blaine leant across and kissed Kurt on the cheek. "For luck!"

"Hello Gorgeous!"

"Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all."

Kurt turned to Blaine as tears shimmered in his eyes. "Ditto"

.

Both boys sat in silence for a few seconds.

"You won I think, "Blaine finally said.

Kurt smiled and flicked his head in a sassy manner.

"There was ever a doubt?"

.

Blaine leant back against the seat and sighed. After a few minutes with only the radio breaking the comfortable silence, he turned to Kurt again.

"You never did answer my question. What is this station? I've never heard it before."

Kurt frowned slightly.

"I thought I said..."

"No, "Blaine shook his head, "You distracted me with telepathic pornography instead."

Kurt protested.

"It was not porn!"

"Kurt, I was tied up, naked and you were spanking me – I think that qualifies as porn."

.

Kurt giggled, and changed the subject.

"It's a station from..." He looked at the radio for a few seconds as his eyes unfocused momentarily. "...Iceland. The radio thought I might like the music, and I do – it's very eclectic. Some of the dance tracks are really fun."

Blaine blinked a little.

"How on earth can your radio pick up a station from Iceland? Isn't that thousands of miles away?"

"Yes it is, but it's picking up a reflected transmission from a series of commercial, weather and spy satellites and using the radio tower at the Lima airport to boost and clean up the signal so it can pick it up clearly."

Blaine nodded, of course, and that was an elegant way to do it too.

.

"How did you learn to tell it to do that Kurt?"

"I didn't, I think my laptop looked it up and told it how to sort it out. Plus the laptop organised things with the various satellites to get the signal over here in the first place.

Blaine blinked.

"Your machine friends are starting to do things on their own? They're starting to... chat to each other?"

"Not really, they just seem to try to anticipate what I want and... work out a way to do it."

Blaine had another thought.

"This isn't going to result in world-wide domination and an army of Terminators killing all of humanity is it Kurt?"

"I don't think so Blaine. "Kurt looked at the radio again, "Maybe my fridge might try to take down Frankenteen, but they're just playing with each other. The machines know I'd never let them do that sort of thing anyway."

.

Blaine smiled, he kept forgetting Grandpa Pang's explanation for magic.  
>So long as their wishes came from a place of love, the magic would always try to do the Good thing.<br>He thought again at how clever the machines had been to...

"What's wrong? "Kurt asked as Blaine stiffened in his seat.

"Kurt..." Blaine began, "You know how I told you I barely passed Physics last semester..."

"Blaine, it was AP Physics, at Dalton, it's meant to be hard!"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah, I know, but I just listened to you explain how the machines organised to get you music from the other side of the globe, and not only understood it instantly, but thought of about fifty ways to make the whole process more efficient and easier."

Kurt looked blank.

Blaine was onto something.

"I can see the whole solution just laid out in front of me Kurt. I can see all the other permutations and possibilities too, it's like my brain has been sped up about a hundred times."

Kurt thought for a second. "Developments in your powers you think?"

Blaine nodded, "It's amazing. I can see...sense everything around me and process it all instantly. This is why I could work out exactly where to hold your sofa when I was picking it up. It's like Sherlock Holmes in the movie!."

Kurt snorted, "Or more like a certain Time Lord on a TV series."

Blaine's eyes widened.

Kurt smiled at him, and batted his lashes, "Oh Doctor Blaine, you're so clever!"

"Shut up Kurt, and keep piloting the Tardis."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

It was dark.

The group emerged from the two cars parked next to each other in the hospital parking lot and gathered around each other.

"Ok, "Burt said, "Carole and I will go see if the coast is clear. Kurt will cover you guys, while Finn keeps watch for the staff. If they spot you somehow, Blaine, you handle it, OK?"

The three boys nodded.

"Do we need to synchronise our watches like they do in the movies?" Finn asked.

/**FINN SILLY**/_memory of wriggling on the grass in the sun_/**KEEP WATCH, NOT WEAR**/_sound of rustling in bushes and distant howls_/**SEE DAVE NOW?** /_loneliness, heartache_/**NEED DAVE**/_sense of belonging_/**LOVE DAVE**/

Dog sat between the humans, his tongue lolling and his entire body tense with excitement.

.

It was the work of a few moments to slip through the doors and into the corridors of the hospital. Kurt held a _Glamour_ over the small group as they watched Burt and Carole occupy the staff at the front desk. Finn kept his hands on Kurt's shoulders as they walked, squeezing them when they needed to stop to avoid walking into a passing nurse. Kurt had closed his eyes to better concentrate on the illusion he was projecting.

Finally, after a few tense minutes they made it to the doors of the ICU. Kurt hissed at Finn to open the door. He was trembling with exhaustion. It was hard work holding such a large invisibility illusion for such a long time, while simultaneously convincing the cameras in the hospital corridors to 'skip' recording what they were seeing for a few minutes. Combine that with walking while trying to hold everything in place, Kurt felt like he had just run a marathon.

A warm sensation grew in his chest as he felt Blaine place a gentle hand in the small of his back and Kurt felt energy seeping back into him.

"Why is it so hard sometimes, and other times I feel like I could give Charles Xavier a run for his money? "Kurt asked his friend softly.

Finn knocked at the door and Paul Karofsky opened it.

.

"Kurt, Blaine! "The man smiled warmly, "How on earth did you manage to sneak him past the staff?"

Paul looked down at the large, ugly black dog sitting patiently at Kurt's feet. Paul's face showed surprise, but not displeasure.

Dog's huge brown eyes stared back at him.

"He's been missing Dave too, "Kurt whispered, "We thought he needed to see him. Dave might need to see him too. If Dave is sleeping though, we can come back later."

Paul smiled again. He was doing that more and more today than he had probably ever done in his entire life. He looked at the elegant boy standing in front of him.

.

"Dave is resting, but he's awake enough to see you guys, and I don't think he'd forgive me if I turned Dog away."

Paul shook his head ruefully.

"I still can't believe he called him Dog, it's not like it's an imaginative name."

Finn smiled, "It's his name though. Dave was polite enough to ask him apparently."

.

Blaine coughed slightly, while Kurt elbowed Finn in the ribs surreptitiously. Dog just turned his face to Finn's and frowned slightly.

Paul laughed at what he presumed was an 'in' joke and moved back to allow the group through the door.

.

"Kurt..." He whispered to the boy as Kurt slipped past him, "Dave has told me everything."

Kurt paused to look Paul in the eye, one brow raised in question.

"He told me about the kiss. He told me about his sexuality. He told me everything."

Kurt's face wavered between joy and fear. His piercing eyes (now visibly flickering between colours) gazed into the face of Dave's father, trying to see what the man was feeling inside. Paul Karofsky smiled again.

"I'm fine with it. I had suspected that was the issue at the core of it all, but I was too scared to confront Dave about it. But he found the courage to tell me. It's like being set free for both of us I think. I have my precious boy back. Thankyou Kurt, that's all I can say, thank you."

Kurt made a face.

.

"Why thank me? Dave is the one who was finally courageous enough to take the step."

"But you forgave him for what he did Kurt. You stood by him. You gave him a safe place to talk, a safe person to open up to. I need to thank you, and I need to thank your father. All I can say is, the Hummels are forever in my prayers, all of you. If I can learn to be even half as GOOD as you and your family Kurt, I will consider myself a truly great human being."

Kurt blushed again, while Finn muttered something he didn't quite catch behind him. Blaine took Finn aside and whispered something in his ear. A look of understanding soon came over Finn's face, followed by a look of admiration, almost awe as he looked at the slim figure of his step-brother.

.

.

"Dave's gay? He kissed Kurt? Isn't that like, sex assault or something? Kurt forgave him, after that?" Finn whispered to Blaine.

"Yes he did, and if we want to avoid the wrath of Kurt, we need to be just as forgiving. Think about it Finn. Because Kurt was able to be such an amazing soul, Dave was able to save your mom's life. I think Dave has proven himself a better man than he was back then, don't you?"

Blaine made sure he didn't use a single drop of magic as he spoke. Grandpa Pang's lessons were starting to take.

Finn nodded.

"Dave has turned out more than OK I guess, "He murmured, "I just can't get over how... HUGE Kurt is inside. He's got even more love in there than I knew already!"

Blaine nodded. "He may be smaller than a freak like you Finn, but he's so much bigger than all of us on the inside. "

Blaine had a sudden thought and had to stifle a giggle.

.

"You're pretty big too Blaine, "Finn said seriously, not noticing Blaine's sudden blush. "Well, for a hobbit I guess."

Blaine looked up at the freakishly tall teen beside him.

"Frankenteen."

"Frodo."

The two boys smiled at each other and then looked at Kurt who was still whispering softly with Paul Karofsky. They took a moment to just stare at the boy they both loved so much.

.

.

While two sets of whispered conversations were taking place. Dave was drifting. Not quite asleep, but definitely no longer awake, he drifted in a sort of dozing state.

The feeling of relief after his coming out was... amazing.  
>He felt like he had grown wings.<br>Huge, white, feathery, freaking angel's wings!  
>He thought for a moment, thought back to the days when he had tormented Kurt so badly.<p>

Before he could begin to wallow in self loathing again, he had another thought.

Jeff would be angry with him if he let himself sink down into that depression again.  
>Jeff would want him to fly.<p>

He dreamed about flying with other angels.  
>One of them was handsome and slender and blond and had the warmest brown eyes...<p>

.

.

Something cold and wet touched his hand as it hung over the side of his hospital bed.

With a jerk Dave Karofsky woke from his reverie and then winced audibly as the movement sent the barely healed bones of his body into unplanned motion.  
>Dave looked down, into the eyes of his best friend.<p>

"Hello Dog, "Dave whispered, "Are you OK? Who's been looking after you?"

Dog just stared at his pack leader, and Dave felt a flood of emotions and feeling and images whirling from Dog's mind and into his. As the hurricane eased Dave looked up and smiled shyly at the approaching group.

"I'm just going to go talk to Burt Hummel, David, I think there are a few people here who would really like a chance to say welcome back."

Paul Karofsky left the room.

.

Dog turned to Blaine, Kurt and Finn and gazed at them with a serious expression.

Dave smiled at the three boys.

"Thanks for looking after my Dog man, "He said to Finn.

"Thanks for coming back to life for him Dave, "Finn muttered, "He's been doing nothing but talk about you since that night."

Dave just nodded, of course Kurt's brother would be in on the secret – whatever it was.

"Are you..."Kurt was nervous, "How are you David? I mean, how..."

.

"I told my Dad, Kurt."

Kurt smiled, and Blaine reached over to touch Dave's hand.

"So..." Finn said, "You're gay? Like... really... really..."

"No Hudson, "Dave rolled his eyes, "I'm just really gay. Really, really gay would be too gay. I don't want to be a freak or anything about it. So I'll stop at one 'really'."

Kurt and Blaine snorted at the look of confusion on Finn's face.

.

"No man, "The boy stammered out finally, "I'm totally cool with it, I mean... I suppose..."

"You don't have to worry about me checking you out in the locker-rooms either Hudson, "Dave's voice was gruffer now as he felt his anger automatically try to cover the sadness he was feeling. "In the first place, you're not my type and second..."

All three boys sensed Dave close to tears.

"...I won't be able to go into any locker rooms ever again anyway, so it's no big deal."

.

Finn wasn't alone in his confusion.

"The doctors say I'm lucky to be alive. When I came in apparently I should have been dead. I had seven broken ribs, one lung was punctured and the other partially collapsed, my breastbone was shattered, as were the bones in my legs and arms, oh, and four cracked vertebrae in my spine..."

All three boys blanched at the list of injuries. Dog whined softly.

"...My liver was torn, my spleen had to be removed and there was some kidney damage too..."

"Are you in pain now? "Kurt asked.

"No, the drugs here are way better than that crap Puckerman put in those cupcakes of yours that time."

Finn started to ask a question about the cakes but was shushed by Kurt.

Dave continued.

.

"They've started calling me Wolverine you know. It's been barely a week since those guys almost killed me, and the staff here reckon my body is already healed to the stage it should be at at about four months. They're going to release me to a ward tomorrow and then I start rehab soon after that."

"Rehab? "Finn was lost again.

"To see if I can learn to walk again. They might need to do some more surgery on my bones, but they want to hold off on it until they see if my liver and kidneys are going to recover or if they need some more surgery."

Kurt and Blaine were both in tears now.

"I won't be able to be on the Titans next year Finn. I won't be able to play football or hockey or anything like that ever again."

Finn was amazed at the composure Dave was showing. Kurt and Blaine could see beneath it though. Dog felt every drop of Dave's pain through their link.

.

"My only real worry is how my Dad is going to be able to pay for this. "Dave lay back on his pillow and sighed.

"Don't worry, "Blaine said simply, "We've got that covered."

Dave and Finn both looked confused, but Kurt just nodded at them.

"Blaine and I have come into a bit of money it would seem, "He said, "We can afford to get you the best care Dave, don't worry."

Dave just nodded. With a talking Dog in his life and Kurt and Blaine obviously channelling Harry-freaking Potter powers, what was a whole heap of money going to do to make things weirder?

.

"When they transfer me to the ward..."

"I'll get them to make it a private room, "Kurt interjected.

"...my Dad had promised to wheel me up to the Children's ward."

"Why?" Kurt was puzzled.

"Since I woke up, the people you had rostered to watch over me have been going up there instead to sing to the kids. Not twenty-four hours of course, but not just sticking to the visiting hours either."

.

Kurt and Blaine were a little surprised, until they remembered just how special their friends and families were.

"Jeff said he and Nick would bring his guitar tomorrow, and Jeff would teach me some songs to sing to the kids."

Blaine's eyes widened at the mention of his Warbler friends. Kurt nodded as he smiled in understanding. The two boys shared a thought.

.  
><em>Blaine - Dave is SO Jeff's ideal type, he loves them big and bearish!<em>

_Kurt – Oh of course, Jeff would be perfect for Dave. He's so sweet, but fierce underneath._

They chuckled silently as each read the other's mind.

.

.

The four boys and Dog looked up as the door to the room was suddenly flung open and Brittany Pierce ran into the room, carrying several boxes of pizza.

"Oh, Hi Dave, Kurt, Blaine, Finn!"

She waved her free hand as she began to place the boxes on the table in the corner of the room.

"I told Santana we'd need more pizzas. Lucky she listens to me more now that we started making out more often. Oh! Hello Dog, Lord Tubbington says hi! I bought you a box of raw sausage, it's the one on the top. Listen guys, when Dave goes to sleep you should really come over to Steffi's room. She's having a baby soon you know. I used to think that the stork delivered babies, but Ms Holiday, and my mom explained it all to me, with diagrams and everything, so now I know that storks only deliver babies in Europe! Oh, you better not let Coach Sylvester catch you with Dog in here. She's upstairs teaching the kids in the Children's ward how to sing 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm', but no one is supposed to know about that, except Mr Shue because they get together to do that every month but Coach says she doesn't want anyone thinking she's going all pinko commie namby-pamby soft liberal wiener-head or anything, so me and Becky had to promise to forget we found out about it, but I keep forgetting what it is I'm meant to forget about and then I remember it by accident. I don't know if Becky remembers or not, but I think she might because she keeps leaving songbooks on Coach's desk for her to find. Anyway, she's going to be wandering around the corridors soon looking for examples of wasteful use of our tax dollars and she can be a real dragon when she's roused you know. Well, that's what she said, but I've never seen her breathe fire or fly or anything, which is how you can tell dragons are dragons on TV. Santana says she's speaking metaphorically, but I can't see what the weather has to do with any of that. Anyway, eat your pizzas guys, I got you a veggie special Kurtie, and I wasn't sure if Dave was allowed to have any at all so I just got him a cookie. I have to go now, Santana will be getting worried, but it was really great to see you found yourself eventually Dave, I knew those croissants would help. If you get lost again I can use pizza crusts this time, I think they'd count too, plus they'd be easier to see from a distance. Ok, say hi to your sparkly dolphin from me Dave, and nice wings by the way! I love you all! Bye!"

.

With that the ditzy blond kissed each boy, and Dog, and danced out the door.

.

"I feel tired now, "Dave whispered.

"She's certainly unique isn't she, "Blaine commented.

/**SPARKLES**/ said Dog.

"I do love her, but I'm so glad she's my EX-girlfriend, "said Kurt.

.

Finn frowned slightly.

"Did she say which pizza was mine?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_**Extra A/N: the movies the quotes are from are (in order) - The Princess Bride/Jerry Maguire/Love Actually/Titanic/When Harry Met Sally/Casablanca/Star Wars/10 Things I hate About You/ Ghost - anyone able to come up with more?**_


	29. Teach Your Children Well

**A/N: Darn it. I had a plot bunny visitation (in my head) while I was at work tonight. When I got home from work (at MIDNIGHT!) I had to type it up straight away - then edit it and then post it.**  
><strong>It's only short, but full of interesting stuff (not unlike Darren Criss actually!) ;P<strong>

**Sorry about how Finn talks - it just needs to be that hard to read. Imagine trying to LISTEN to it!  
><strong>

**Feel free to write a 40 page review. (wait, hoe many characters are we allowed again?) - oh well, enjoy your days - I have to start work at 11 AM tomorrow (well , technically today) and it's now 3.30am so... ni ni all!**

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to own Glee. I don't own many things that START with a G either. (eg. no golf clubs, gyro-copters or g-strings)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Finn Hudson was picking beef meatballs off the slice of cold pizza he was munching on and throwing them to a tired but happy Dog.

"...and then Brittany and Santana were arguing with Quinn about who's house Steffi should live at after she gets discharged and then Quinn's mom started to cry and then Kurt was trying to get them all to calm down but none of the girls would listen and then Blaine started to talk to them and it was freaky, because they all just started to grin and nod and agree with whatever he was saying and I must have zoned out a little because next thing I know Kurt is sneaking me and Dog down the corridor and we run straight into Coach Sylvester who just looks at the three of us and says 'Porcelain, does that flea-ridden mongrel belong to you?' and Kurt says 'No Coach, he's Dave Karofsky's' and Coach Sylvester just squats down so she can stare into Dog's eyes and she just, like, STARES for a few seconds and then she nods and says 'You look after him, he'll look after you' then she escorts us out of the building and Kurt was trying to shield us and she turns to him and says 'Porcelain, just stop that, it's giving me a headache' and it was weird because every nurse or doctor who saw us coming just acted like they didn't see any of us and Kurt was like whispering 'It's not me' and then he started looking at Coach really funny and when we got to the car park she just took his hand and looked at his ring and she SMILED and it was really scary, like even scarier than when she pushes kids into lockers and she just nodded at Kurt, and he just looked her in the eye and she SMILED again and then we sat in the car and waited for Blaine to catch up and Kurt looked really upset, but not about Coach Sylvester, I think it was about something else but he wouldn't talk to me and Blaine tried and Kurt just did his pinched face thing and Blaine said they would talk when we got home and that's why he just ran straight to his room and hasn't come back down."

Burt and Carole sat on the sofa and listened to Finn chew.  
>Dog looked over at them.<p>

/**COACH FIERCE**_/image of wolf baring teeth_/ **PROTECT HER PACK**/ _image of various Cheerios, image of Kurt_/**HELP PROTECT DAVE TOO**/

Finn burped and stood up. Before Carole or Burt could say anything he bent down and picked up the pizza box and took it into the kitchen to put it in the trash.

Dog noted the confusion on their faces.

/**VACUUM CLEANER SICK OF MESS**/_sound of engine clogging up_/**IT TALK TO XBOX**/_image of blank screen and silent speakers_/**FINN TIDY OR NO GAMES**/

Dog went outside to his bed on the back porch.

.

Carole laughed. "If I had realised that all I needed to get Finn to tidy up after himself was to find a magic ring and bring my electronic equipment to life, I'd have done it years ago!"

Burt kissed her as he joined in on the chuckles.

"Time for bed? I'll make up the couch for Blaine."

Carole frowned at him, "Burt..."

"No Carole, and please, I don't want to argue about this tonight, OK?"

Carole shook her head sadly and went to have a shower while Burt got the bedding from the closet in the hall and made up a bed for Blaine.

Finn handed him the pillows as he went past to his own room to get ready for bed.

.

Several minutes later Burt was standing outside Kurt's room, frowning at the almost closed door.

It had taken some doing, but Burt had finally threatened to throw in the trash any light fitting or electrical equipment that flickered or buzzed to warn Kurt of his approach.  
>Burt still felt a little guilty about it, but Kurt was his son, and Burt wasn't about to let him be hurt by anyone, not even by himself.<p>

Burt was about to knock when he heard Kurt's voice.

.

"Blaine, please don't go back downstairs, stay here with me."

"No Kurt, "Blaine sounded like he had been arguing this point for hours, "I want to stay here as much as you want me to stay, but your Dad just isn't comfortable with us sharing a room, let alone a bed."

Kurt's sigh sounded so sad, Burt felt his own heart ache in response.

Blaine sounded concerned as he spoke.  
>"Are you sure you're ok now Kurt? If you aren't then I can go ask Burt if he'll give us a few more minutes to talk it through some more."<p>

"Talking won't help Blaine, "Kurt snapped, "It's my fault Dave is in so much pain. It's my fault he will never play football again, hell, he might never be able to even walk again. I made the wish. I pulled him back. Lord Tubbington and Grandpa Pang have both told us that what I did shouldn't be done, but I did it, and now Dave is living in hell and it's MY FAULT!"

"They said it COULDN'T be done Kurt. "Blaine sounded so calming and reasonable, "And those wishes belong to BOTH of us, remember? We created them. They are a manifestation of our love. So anything you do with them, I do too. Do you really believe Dave would be better off dead?"

There was silence. Burt wondered what silent communication Kurt was giving his boyfriend. Probably his bitch-glare, Burt thought, it was his usual standby.

Kurt stifled a small sob.  
>"What if he's in that chair for the rest of his life? How will he ever be able to forgive me, us?"<p>

"Do you think your friend Artie should die?" Blaine sounded so sad too. "I mean, he's in a chair too."

"No!"

.

"Then what's so wrong with Dave never healing? But Kurt, he is going to be ok. Remember, you wished for him to heal, and he is, it just might take a little longer than we hoped. You have to stop blaming yourself for everything. We fix what we can. We try to help where we can. We can't solve all the world's problems. We can't heal all the world's ills. All we can do is help those we meet as best we can. All we can do is help those we love to do the same."

Burt could hear his son gently weeping now.

"All we can do Kurt, is love each other with all our beings and hope that that is enough."

Burt felt his aching heart ease, even as he heard Kurt sigh, and the sound of a gentle kiss.

"Please..." Kurt sounded so young.

"I won't go against Burt's wishes Kurt. And you know you won't either."

"But it isn't fair, "Kurt sounded exhausted, "It's not like we're going to do anything 'inappropriate'. It's not like we're going to DO anything at all! I just want to hold you. I just want to wake up with you next to me. "

"I want that too Kurt, "Blaine sounded equally tired.

"You must get disturbed when Dad or Finn or Carole gets up in the night, or when they are getting ready for work in the morning, don't you?"

"It's ok Kurt, you know I sleep like a log once I finally drop off. You've had to pour water on me before today to get me moving when we sleep over at my place."

"I won't be able to get to sleep at all without you beside me!"  
>Kurt made one last effort to persuade his boyfriend to stay.<p>

"Goodnight Kurt, I love you."

.

Burt hurried away to avoid being caught snooping and heard Blaine walking down the stairs towards the living room.  
>.<p>

.

.

Eventually, the house went silent.

.

.

An hour or two later Burt quietly made his way to the kitchen to grab a drink of water.

He peeked his head through Kurt's partially open door to check on him, and noted that Kurt was fast asleep. His position looked uncomfortable, however. Kurt lay on his side, curled almost into a ball. Every now and then an arm or a leg would reach out as if searching for something. As if looking for contact with something that should be there, only to curl back in on itself when it found only open space.

As he passed through the living room he saw that Blaine was sprawled on his stomach on the couch, deep in sleep. Burt knew Blaine wasn't the tallest guy in the world, but lying there he looked so...small... so young.  
>Blaine's hand was curled as his arm dangled over the edge of the sofa.<p>

It looked for all the world as though Blaine had been reaching for something over the edge of the couch and had fallen into a coma just as his hand had touched it.

Burt looked closer at Blaine's face and noticed the tell-tale tracks of tears.

He stood watching the boy sleep for... he couldn't tell you how long.

.

.

Carole came downstairs and found Burt standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at Blaine's sleeping form.

"Are you alright Burt?" She whispered.

Burt nodded silently and continued his observation.  
>Carole grabbed a chair from the dining table and brought it over. Then she went back and grabbed another chair and sat on it, pulling Burt down into the one she had placed behind him.<p>

"What's wrong honey?" She murmured softly.

Burt was silent for a long time.

"...Kurt is my baby boy, "He finally whispered, "I have a duty to protect him."

.

Carole sighed and leant into his warm body.

"Kurt is your baby Burt, but he isn't a baby anymore."

Burt shook his head.

"He's still so young..."

"Time will have to take care of that, Burt, we can't do anything about it."

"He's going to make mistakes..."

"Would you rather he never tried in the first place?"

Burt was silent again.

.

"...He's going to leave me."

Carole reached out and held Burt's hand, her thumb stroking the knuckles. She loved Burt's hand. It was large and rugged, like him, but his touch was so gentle, and his grip so safe and comforting.

"Our kids always leave us Burt, "She sighed eventually, "Sometimes kids run away from home. Sometimes we push them out. Sometimes it seems like they'll never leave, then one day..."

Burt wound his arm around his wife and they sat and watched Blaine sleep.

Burt sighed.

.

"Blaine is a good kid."

Carole agreed, "Blaine is a good MAN. His age is immaterial. He is one of the most responsible, kind and caring MEN I have ever met. He reminds me an awful lot of a certain ruggedly handsome mechanic I know..."

Burt scoffed quietly and looked at her with raised brows.

"...I'm serious Burt! " Carole smiled at him, "Not that he looks like you or anything. The poor boy will never have your rugged charms, but he is as kind and compassionate and fiercely loyal as you Burt. He is honest and hard working. He's gentle and smart and so full of love. I'm not at all surprised that Kurt fell head over heels for Blaine. Kurt worships you Burt, and as soon as I saw that Blaine had all your qualities I knew he was the one."

Burt's eyes shone with unshed tears as he heard the love in Carole's voice. Love for Blaine, for Kurt and especially love for him.

.

.

"They're going to get married you know Burt, Blaine and your son."

"Our son." Burt's tears were falling now.

Carole bit her lip to stop from crying too.

"They are going to get married. They're going to move away from us. They'll go to college, have adventures, change the world. They'll have kids one day, somehow. Adoption? Surrogates? Hell, with all the magic flying around I wouldn't be shocked if one of them managed to find a way to get pregnant! "

Burt stifled a laugh though his tears didn't cease.

"All we can do as parents is to teach our kids the values they'll need in the world. We need to teach them to love themselves and to love others. We need to teach them to BE themselves Burt. And then we need to let them go."

Burt marvelled at the woman he had married.

.

"You taught Kurt how to ride a bike didn't you?"

Burt nodded.

"You didn't try to hold his hand all the time though. Did you? Eventually you had to let him go. Maybe he fell a few times, and you had to pick him up, but eventually he took off down the street with a look of joy on his face and streamers waving madly behind him. Pink one's I bet!"

Burt snorted.

"They were blue and green, to match his eyes."

Carole nodded. No surprise there.

"But this time Burt, I don't think you'll need to pick him up every time. He's found someone special. I think they will be able to pick each other up if they fall from now on. He'll always need you Burt, but he can ride on his own now, you don't need to carry him anymore."

.

Burt nodded and stood up.

"My carrying days aren't quite done though."

Carole looked at him in puzzlement.

"Will you get the door for me?"

Carole realised what Burt intended and her tears flowed again.  
>She took the edge of the blanket covering Blaine and pulled it back.<br>Blaine stirred a little, but remained fast asleep.  
>Burt moved to the deeply sleeping boy and without any effort at all, it seemed, picked him up.<p>

Cradled in Burt's arms like a small child Blaine looked so peaceful, his head resting against Burt's flannel covered shoulder.

Carole moved past them as she darted up the stairs and opened Kurt's door.

She pulled back Kurt's sheet. Kurt moved slightly, but didn't wake up.  
>A few seconds later Burt was gently laying the still sleeping Blaine down beside his son.<p>

Carole covered the two boys with the white cotton sheet.

Even as Burt was straightening up, he saw Blaine's hand reaching out, only to be met by Kurt's. Both boys sighed in their sleep and Burt and Carole saw the last traces of tension leave their sleeping faces.

Burt motioned towards the door.  
>Once in the hall, Burt went downstairs to get that drink he had originally gone looking for.<br>Carole followed him.

.

.

On the way back to their room they stopped at Kurt's door.

Peeking in Burt and Carole saw that the two boys had found each other in their sleep.  
>They were spooning.<p>

Blaine lay on his side, a gentle smile gracing his face.

Behind him, close behind him, Kurt lay on his side also, his torso pressed against the curve of Blaine's back, both arms wrapped around the slightly shorter boy.

Blaine held Kurt's arms to his chest as Kurt's pale cheek rested upon the cloud-like softness of Blaine's dark curls.

.

Burt saw the peace in his son's face.

As Blaine moved slightly in his sleep Kurt moved with him, pressing even closer to his warm body. Kurt's lips brushed against the whorls of Blaine's ear and both boys sighed in unison. Their breaths began to slowly rise and fall in almost perfect synchronisation.

It was both the most sexual and the most innocent thing Burt and Carole had ever seen.

Burt nodded to himself, and took Carole by the hand as he closed Kurt's door all the way.

.

"Let's go get some sleep." He whispered.

"Can we spoon? "Carole flirted.

.

Burt smiled wryly.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	30. The Touch of a Fingertip

**A/N: Oh My God! A positive slew of reviews since the last chapter! (esp from two readers, who have reviewed every single chapter so far! I'm in awe of that, I'm crap at reviewing myself. I think I try to think too much about it.)**  
><strong>I am free with my "favourite story" button though. If you write something well, even if I don't ship your ship or agree with your choices I will always honour your comittment to the craft and applaud your passion.<strong>

**I have no idea where this came from. I was in the middle of trying to finish off a half written chapter and suddenly the Plot Bunny dumped this pretty much as it is in my head. Darn that Bunny, darn him to heck!**

**I must admit to crying a little in the first part of writing this. I think we all want to feel what the boys feel. I know I wish for that with every fibre of my being... oh well, maybe one day. (even if I am getting on a bit)**

**Reviews are almost as good as a dream lover, so feel free! If I haven't replied to a message it's because I am a terrible person (and really slack at stuff like that) - lets just say, none of the members of my family have ever recieved a present on the DAY of their birthdays since I turned 25. (They all say it's a lovely surprise to get a warm winter coat for your birthday when your actual birthday is the middle of summer) so I shall just keep being slack I guess.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, I DO own some 300 thread count sheets, but I'm scared to invest in 1000 count ones, because I'm already addicted to the lesser ones and washing sheets can be such a chore!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was dreaming of being wrapped in a gleaming, full length mink coat, posing for pictures outside a huge Broadway theatre while a million photographers and screaming fans roared their love and admiration for him.

Never mind the fact that Kurt would rather be naked in front of the crowd rather than wear real fur. Well, perhaps not naked, but he would rather wear one of Rachel Berry's hideous animal sweaters, or even (shudder) PLAID than the skin of a defenceless animal. People who lived in Russia or Alaska or Antarctica were allowed to wear whatever they needed to stay warm and alive, Kurt mused in his dream, but even his love of fashion had a limit.

(He loved the glamour and the style of such garments, but the cruelty used to make them...? No, just... no.)

This, however, was a dream, and no animals had been harmed in the production of his dream coat.  
>(Which was a lovely deep russet brown, not technicolour at all.)

As Dream Kurt basked in the waves of love pouring into him from the assembled, adoring fans, he heard what sounded like the distant rumble of thunder. The vibrations sank into his very bones, filling him with a sense of power and energy. He felt surrounded and utterly filled by the noise. It was like a million cats purring in unison. It was like his memories of being bounced on his mother's knee as her arms held him close to her chest and the rumble of her laughter had made him feel utterly and completely safe.

.

Arms.

.

He could feel arms around him. Warmer than the fur coat in his dreams, he felt strong arms wrapped around his body. The skin was so smooth, so warm...  
>He felt safe.<br>He felt... loved.

The love he was still receiving from the horde of admirers paled into insignificance next to this feeling.

He began to realise... this is a dream.

His obsessed worshippers faded away, but the love he was feeling from them did not.

His gorgeous, but oh so wrong, mink coat cooled and roughened and he recognised the touch of cotton sheets (thousand thread count) and the softer cotton of the T-shirt he had stolen many months ago from Blaine to use as his preferred sleep attire.

(Well, when he was sleeping alone that is. For his regular sleepovers with the girls he had a selection of very nice pyjamas he had ordered online from Australia. That Peter Alexander was a genius, and no-one in Ohio had jammies like Kurt now!)

.

Blaine.

.

Kurt liked dreaming about Blaine.

His worshipping fans were long gone now, and his coat had become the crisp touch of his expensive sheets and the familiar touch of his favourite shirt.

He could still hear that rumble though.  
>He could still feel arms around him.<br>He could feel lithe muscles beneath his fingers.  
>He could feel his arms wrapped around another, just as he was wrapped by another's arms.<br>He could hear soft breathing, not his own.  
>He could feel warmth... so much warmth coming from the arms around him, from the body pressed against his chest.<br>He could feel warm breath on his face, on his lips.

Kurt's mouth, he realised, was open a fraction and someone was breathing into it from about a half an inch away.

Kurt's entire body was vibrating with the sound of this other's breathing. His heart was still shaking as it battled to hold the overwhelming love which still poured into it from... somewhere.

He was still dreaming?  
>If this was a dream, it was a good dream- Kurt decided.<p>

He revelled in the feel of the cotton on his skin.  
>The touch of skin against his skin.<p>

He could feel the touch of fingertips against his back.  
>Gentle fingers, moving against the muscles of his back, as if Kurt's body was a musical instrument and the owner of these fingers was playing a symphony upon him.<p>

The touch was firmer than a mere brush, but far gentler than a massage.

.

Caress.

.

That was the word for it, Kurt decided. He was being caressed.

It was a good word.  
>Kurt liked that word.<p>

As Kurt hovered in his dream, trying to decide if it was a dream or not, he breathed in the breath of the person holding him, caressing him and he smelled...

.

Blaine.

.

That word was even better than caress.

This was a dream then.  
>Kurt never wanted to wake again.<p>

Kurt's fingers began to return the caress.  
>The touch of a finger tip.<p>

The touch of his fingers against... Blaine.

Kurt smiled in his sleep and his lips...

The touch of his lips against...

Kurt opened his eyes.

.

Blaine smiled into their kiss and his eyes began to flutter open too.

Eyes of honey brown and green looked into the blue, green and grey oceans for Kurt's eyes.  
>Two souls looked at each other from behind their windows.<p>

Blaine smiled more broadly as his lips met Kurt's again.  
>As their souls touched...<p>

...again.

As Kurt breathed out, Blaine breathed him in.  
>They continued like this for an eternity, lips caressing each other, eyes staring, souls listening to the music their fingers were playing.<p>

Blaine began to cry.

"I love this dream." He whispered into Kurt's mouth.

.

Kurt's eyes widened as he heard his boyfriends voice.  
>This wasn't a dream.<p>

.

Kurt wanted to scream, to cry, to laugh.

He wanted to melt into the warm body he was pressing himself into and become part of it.  
>He wanted to leap away before his father came in and gave him that look of sad disappointment which was one of the few things Kurt still feared.<br>He wanted to profess his love for this boy, this man he had fallen for.  
>He wanted to take back all those things he had said when Blaine had first offered him the ring because...<br>...He wanted to be married to this man.  
>He wanted to grow old with this man.<br>He wanted to tell Blaine all his secrets, his dreams, his fears.

He wanted to sing.

.

Kurt's eyes shimmered with tears too as he tried to find a place to begin his declaration of love.

No words would come until...

"Blaine..." Kurt murmured, "How is it that you don't have morning breath? "

.

Now it was Blaine's turn to realise that this was real.

Blaine's momentary panic caused the muscles of his body to stiffen, but Kurt instantly soothed him with more caresses.

"...What? ...How?"

"Did you sneak back into my room after you went to bed?"

Blaine furrowed his brows in concentration.

Oh God, that is so sexy, Kurt thought to himself.  
>Blaine blushed slightly.<p>

Damned Telepathic Fairy Rings.

.

"I have no idea how you got here, "Kurt said, "But I'm so glad you are."

Blaine allowed his mind to go back to last night.  
>He had been sleeping, but it seemed that his newly discovered mental awareness hadn't let that prevent him from remembering what had happened.<p>

"Burt and Carole were talking, downstairs, while I was sleeping." Blaine couldn't quite hear what they had said, except for the occasional word. "Carole was talking to him about us, I think, or maybe the other way round..."

Kurt marvelled at his boyfriend's ability to recall events that had happened while he was so deeply asleep.

"...I remember hearing them crying, and laughing with each other. "Blaine was struggling, he had been deep in sleep at the time. "I remember smelling Carole's face cream, she uses a different one to you Kurt."

"Of course, we have different skin types. I found it for her though." Kurt smiled at the memory of their bonding time at the mall. "I'd kill for her T-zone. I can't wait till adolescence is over and my hormones stop making my pores go randomly oily or dry. It's hard enough to keep things maintained without having to redraw the battle plans every time I get a testosterone spike or eat a waffle."

.

Blaine allowed a soft giggle to bubble onto the lips he was still kissing.

"I can remember her pulling back my blanket, then I..." His eyes went wide as he remembered what happened next.

"Burt carried me up here. He carried me up the stairs and he put me down next to you." Blaine was shaking now, "I can remember reaching for you all night, and then suddenly, you were there."

Kurt nodded, which caused their lips to press against each other more firmly.

"I was dreaming about you. I couldn't find you, and then I felt your hand in mine and everything was alright again."

.

Blaine kissed the tip of Kurt's nose.

"I guess this means Burt has decided I'm not some sort of creep who wants to try to steal his only son away from him then."

Kurt giggled.

"You stole me away the day I met you Blaine, "He whispered, "I just didn't realise it till... our first cup of coffee together. That was when my happy ever after began."

.

Blaine frowned as he tried to recall the sequence of events.

"You mean the coffee Wes and..."

Kurt nodded.

"Kurt, you cried. You told me about being bullied and... about Karofsky and..."

"You listened to me Blaine. You understood. You offered... terrible advice, but from a place of caring, and it turned out to be the best advice I ever received, so... "

.

"I love you." Blaine breathed the words as his eyes embraced Kurt's soul.

"Let's go re-enact the moment I fell in love with you shall we?" Kurt smiled as he turned his continuing caresses of Blaine's body into a bone-shaking hug.

"You want me to make you cry?" Blaine returned the hug with love to spare.

"No, silly!" Kurt's finger gently tapped Blaine on the nose, like he would a naughty puppy. "I want coffee!"

I'll go put the machine on while you find your slippers, "Blaine offered.

.

Kurt's eyes unfocused for a second or two then he smiled at Blaine.

"The machine was filled and now it is on. Finn just walked into the kitchen and is about to try to cook for himself. I suggest we both race to the bathroom and one of us gets down there before the fridge is forced to fend him off with deadly frozen missiles again."

"You can talk to it from here?" Blaine was impressed, "Since when?"

"Since just now, "Kurt winked, "The machines won't need to flicker to warn me about Dad snooping anymore. We can make out without fear again!"

Blaine giggled again.

"Kurt, can you tell the stove to not turn on till we get down there. I think Finn can handle a few extra minutes of waiting before we cook him breakfast."

Kurt raised a brow in enquiry.

.

"I wasn't planning on my moisturising routine till after we ate Blaine? Are you going to take that long to get ready before we go downstairs?"

Blaine grinned wickedly and his arms wrapped around Kurt again, pulling the boy back down on the bed with his super strength.

"Who said anything about getting ready?"  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Grandpa Pang and Lord Tubbington sat in the large sycamore tree outside Kurt's bedroom window and turned to each other to allow the boys a little privacy.

The old Chinese man and the large cat looked at each other seriously, before the man picked the cat up and they were gone.

A silvery cloud zipped across the wind-tossed sky. It would have been indistinguishable from all the other clouds except for one factor. It was moving against the wind.

In the backyard of the Pierce residence as few minutes later the figures of a small elderly Asian man and a cat made their way through a hidden gate in the back fence and into the large, overgrown woodland which the property backed onto.

Walking between the trees the two friends remained silent, basking in the morning sun and the sounds of nature all around them.

.

They walked for a few minutes, but the distance they covered seemed far longer. Finally they came to a large clearing.

The floor of the clearing was covered in thick, soft grass. The emerald green of the lawn would have made a golf-club greenkeeper white with jealousy.  
>Studded all through the lawn were wildflowers. Their glorious colours made the green of the lawn even more vibrant.<p>

A sparkling pool lay in the centre of the glade, reflecting the ancient trees which leant over it as if offering to shade the fish that swam within or perhaps the trees simply wished to admire their reflection in its pristine waters.

Pang turned to Lord Tubbington as they sat on the soft grass and stretched out in the dappled shade of an ancient rowan.

.

"You have not told them, have you?"

Lord Tubbington looked sat and slightly uncomfortable.

"It is not my place, "He began, "I was rather hoping... I mean, since you are a relative and all..."

Pang shook his head.

"Not my mythology, remember, old friend. " He grinned a cheeky grin at the rather imposing figure of the cat. "They will have to wait for Danu to explain it all."

"Mr Hummel will hate that."

Pang nodded, "You know them well."

The old man watched with disinterest as a unicorn wandered into the glen and paused, looking at them.

.

Lord Tubbington nodded familiarly, "Good morning Neville, how is your wife and foal?"

The gleaming white figure nodded a greeting in return and blinked curiously at the man sitting on the grass beside the cat.

"I am Pang, River Dragon, "Pang bowed slightly and smiled. "I am an old friend of your god here, please, do not let my presence prevent you from enjoying this wonderful gift of a morning."

The unicorn, Neville, nodded to the dragon and knelt down to drink from the pool.

Lord Tubbington sighed and gave Pang a severe look.

.

"I haven't been him for a very, very long time Pang. Please don't confuse the unicorns, and please, don't tell the boys. It would only distract them from their task."

Pang nodded simply and smiled.

"Do you miss it? The power I mean." He asked finally.

Lord Tubbington pulled himself up and licked his fur contemplatively.

"Good heavens, no!" He laughed, "It's much easier being a cat."

"But you were a god once old friend, "Pang had a sad look on his face, "You were several gods! Does it not hurt to think of how much you have lost?"

"I don't miss it." Lord Tubbington smiled, "You lot never understood. We chose to become part of the mortal world when _Faerie_ began to drift away. We always thought we would fade along with the magic. None of us ever expected the beliefs of the mortals would turn us into..."

Pang nodded. "We chose to remain as we were. We also thought we would fade, or be drawn out of this world and back to _Faerie_. None of us knew that we would remain as we were for so long."

"You Dragons have faded a little too you know."

"We are fewer than we were also. Some died. Some faded into nothing. I suspect some DID find _Faerie_ again, even when it was so far from this world."

.

Lord Tubbington laughed.

"Only a Dragon could have found the way back. You lot were always a law unto yourselves."

Pang sat in comfortable silence with his old friend.

"So..." he asked at last, "What was it like being a god?"

Lord Tubbington snorted, "Overrated!"

"But you were two gods at the same time once! That must have been fun."

"I've been so many things, it's nice to remember them sometimes, but the memories fade, even for such as we."

"Who was the most fun?" Pang asked, "Who do you miss the most?"

"I miss my Queens."

.

Pang wrinkled his brow slightly.

"You know what I meant. What was it like to be Puck? Pan? Monkey? Ananse? Hermes? Enkidu? Loki?"

"I don't miss him, he was a little too dark for me."

.

Pang was silent for a time.

"The boys think only Titania is lost, why didn't you tell them the full story?"

"It hurts too much, "Lord Tubbington sighed, "Besides, how am I meant to explain it all? Ok, boys, here's the thing. When _Faerie_ began to drift away from being connected to this world, some of the Fae decided to tie ourselves to the mortals by being born as mortals. Danu agreed to be our first mother, and over the centuries we have been born and reborn. Sometimes we remember who we are fully, sometimes we only remember a little. Sometimes we found ourselves with the powers and followers of Gods. Sometimes we just observed from the outside. The Queen of _Faerie_, Mabd, became the Queen Who Was after _Faerie_ left us, and nobody has been able to find a trace of her reborn self for thousands of years. Titania became our Queen, in exile as it were, but she too disappeared after a few millennia. No one had ever found The Future Queen to start with, so technically she hasn't been 'lost' I suppose. All of us Fae who remain in the world are hoping that you, Blaine and Kurt, are the ones who will be able to find the Queens and reforge the connection back to _Faerie_ so we can all, mortals and Fae alike, enjoy the happy ever after we so long for. "

.

Pang blinked slowly.

"That would probably do it, "He said.

.

"It would terrify the life out of them, "Lord Tubbington, "They are young. They don't need me interfering and ruining their lives."

"Danu sent them her rings."

"I know, and I can't think what it all means." Lord Tubbington frowned at the Dragon beside him. "Could you read them?"

"My grandson was easy to read. He is human, Fae and Dragon in equal measure. And now, thanks to one of his wishes, he is becoming something else entirely. It will be a wonderful adventure I think."

Lord Tubbington nodded. "And Mr Hummel?"

"Kurt is interesting, "Pang mused, "He is human, and shares Fae blood with Blaine. But there is something else too. I tried to see his mother, and I could not. I did feel the love of someone... something that seemed so familiar. When first I felt this connection to someone in his life I began to think his mother was a Dragon too. But... no, she was not. She was...something else. "

Lord Tubbington looked into the starry blackness of Pang's eyes.

.

"So what are the boys going to become then? What is it they will do?"

Pang smiled.

"No idea! "He chuckled, "It will be very exciting, won't it?"


	31. Good Luck, Bad Luck and No luck at All

**A/N: Another night without sleep. Thank Gaga I start at 4 this afternoon. I might be able to snatch a quick nap or something. At least it's only a short shift (4-11) (it is currently 6.50 am here)**  
><strong>No idea where this is going. I just type the stuff, my subconcious (aka Plot bunny) is driving and won't tell me which HIGHWAY I'm on let alone what the destination might be.<strong>

**All I know is that this chapter had me all cross and upset that the bunnies LET me get cross and upset before relieving my upset and crossness with a truly terrible pun/joke.**

**I also know that next chapter will make one of the reviewers feel like they are psychic or something. But I won't be posting that for a couple of days I suspect. I need to sleep.**  
><strong>Meh, who am I kidding, I'll survive... maybe.<strong>

**Feel free to feed me reviews, they are totally non fattening you know (only your head gets bigger, not your hips)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee. I do own a bed, I just rarely get to enjoy it.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Finn Hudson was sitting at the dining room table and watching his breakfast being made.

.

He had woken earlier than usual. After his trip to the hospital the night before he had felt more tired than usual and had gone to bed well before his normal time.

When he woke he felt more refreshed than he had in many months.

He had wandered to the bathroom, brushed his teeth (among other things) and said goodbye to his mom as she and Burt had been rushing down the corridor on their way to their respective jobs.

Burt had taken a few minutes to explain to him where Blaine had slept the night, and exactly how he had gotten there.

Finn's smile was so pure a joy that his mother had dropped her keys when she saw it beaming from his face. Burt was touched that Finn truly cared about Kurt so much.

Finn had decided to take a long shower, and after several minutes revelling in the warm water against his skin, had decided he would treat the boys to breakfast in bed.

(The bonus would be being able to tease and terrify Kurt with threats of telling Burt before finally relenting and relaying Burt's message to his son.)

Finn walked into the kitchen warily. Before coming down he had taken the precaution of putting on his football helmet and face guard, and slipping a protective cup into his underwear.  
>The fridge had been well behaved for a few days now.<br>In fact, it had been over a week since it had done anything unpleasant or untoward.

It was obviously up to something.

Finn was standing in the doorway, trying to decide what to do first when his eyes fell on the coffee maker in the corner.

.

Kurt and Blaine were both addicted to coffee, he recalled.  
>Good place to start.<br>Finn noted that Burt or Carole must have refiled the machine with water and fresh beans as they had tidied the kitchen after making their own breakfasts earlier.

Finn stood in front of the machine and wondered which of the many buttons he needed to push to start it going.  
>This should be easy, he thought. The chances of a repeat of the last time he had attempted to make breakfast on his own (Mother's Day) were practically non-existent. Right?<p>

Finn bit his lip in confusion.

.

Lots of buttons.

He reached out to push one at random, when suddenly the machine beeped and lights came on. A few seconds later he heard the sound of coffee being ground somewhere inside the machine and watched as steam began to rise from the top of it.

Whoa, cool! Finn nodded. Kurt was his brother after all, it wasn't that unlikely that Kurt's powers might start to rub off on his family... was it?

"I can totally control machines with the power of my mind!" Finn had shouted (well, said slightly louder than a whisper, he didn't want to wake the boys up and spoil his surprise).

.

Several minutes later he was still arguing with the stove.

He had found pans and pots.  
>He had persuaded the fridge to let him get milk for the coffee and had assembled a great slew of ingredients on the bench top ready to cook.<br>He had prepared the usual morning coffee orders for his step-brother and his... Finn wondered briefly if there was a term he should use to describe Blaine's relationship to him. Dude-in-law? That sounded pretty cool.

Now all he needed to do was cook a delicious meal, pour the coffees and find some trays and stuff.

Maybe a flower or something too.(Kurt was into all that extra dressing and the like.)

The stove refused to cooperate though.

Finally Finn had stood beside it and pointed.

.

"By the power of my mind I command you to turn on!" He waved a wooden spoon at the stove a la Harry Potter.

Nothing happened.

The fridge spat an ice cube towards him. It struck with unerring aim directly in his crotch area.

"Ha! "Finned had crowed with triumph, removing the cup and brandishing it at his nemesis, "I was totally prepared for you this time!"

The fridge spat another cube, just as Kurt and Blaine had walked into the room.

Blaine had carried the curled up Finn over to the sofa in the living room, while Kurt had proceeded to lecture the fridge on 'boundaries' and 'good behaviour' and 'inappropriate touching'.

.

Now Finn was feeling better and he sat in the doorway watching Blaine and his brother cook.

.

.

It was like a dance.

Totally.  
>They were dancing as they cooked.<p>

Finn was reminded of how Mike and Brittany moved when they were on stage.

.

Blaine never seemed to need to look at where Kurt was to know exactly where he was.

Blaine would open a drawer and place a utensil on the bench just as Kurt reached for it.

Kurt would open the eggs and throw a couple to Blaine, who would just hold up his hand and catch them in flight, break them into his bowl and toss the shells back towards the trash can, which Kurt had opened ready for them.

.

Finn had been even more impressed when he realised neither boy had even been facing in the other's direction when this had happened.

"Finn, why did you put a jar of cornichons next to a jar of strawberry preserves? Are you pregnant perhaps? Strange cravings? Do tell."  
>Kurt sounded pissed... uh oh.<p>

"You can eat corn for breakfast, "Finn replied carefully, "Cornflakes, Corn Dogs... Corn fritters."

"They're a type of gherkin Finn, "Blaine explained as he expertly whipped egg whites into foam before adding the yolks to the omelette he was making.

"Oh, "Finn was still lost.

"Pickles Finn, you were about to make pickle pancakes with strawberry jam." At least Kurt sounded more amused than cranky now. "I'm not even going to ask why you had Carole's spare jar of cold cream there as well. She's been looking for that since we went shopping on Thursday. She had to borrow mine."

"I put it in the fridge on Thursday, "Finn replied.

"Why?" Kurt sounded like he really was afraid to hear the answer.

"Cold cream Kurt, DUH."

.

Kurt rolled his eyes and muttered something about 'thank Gaga he wasn't a blood relation'.

.

Blaine was watching Kurt prepare his crepe batter. He didn't want to start the omelette until the crepes were made and Kurt had started on the filling, both dishes needed to be timed well.

While he waited he began juggling mushrooms.

Finn watched as Blaine added a couple of eggs, then an onion and finally a couple of wooden spoons to the assortment of objects he was juggling.

Kurt noticed Finn staring over his shoulder and turned to watch his boyfriend's display of circus skill.

"Don't play with our food Blaine, "He quipped.

Blaine just laughed.

"We need to get this done, tidy the kitchen and head out ourselves Honey." Kurt was beginning to make the crepes now, stacking them up on a plate interleaved with baking paper.

"What are you guys doing today?" Finn asked.

.

Blaine caught his flying objects one by one and answered him.

"We're heading to the hospital, again. Kurt needs to have one last check up from his head injury. I need to get a routine medical as part of getting my gig at Six Flags and we want to pop in to see Dave today. It's his first rehab session and we both want to be there for him."

"Cool, " Finn replied, "I'm taking Dog for a drive down to the lake. Then we were going to run past Puck's place and bring him back here. He's sleeping over tonight, we're planning an all night COD marathon."

"Oh, be still my beating heart, "Kurt's voice was so dry it would have desiccated coconut. "How will I ever stand the excitement?"

"Be nice Kurt, we have to let the kids have some fun." Blaine was winking at Finn as he said that.

"Thanks mom." Finn drawled back at him.

"Why am I Mom? Why isn't Kurt the Mom? I want a turn at not being the Mom!"

Finn chuckled at Blaine's attempts to look offended.

"Dude, would you want to call Kurt a girl while he's waving a hot cast iron skillet in his hands?"

.

Kurt merely raised an elegant brow and flipped the last crepe onto his stack. Then he started on mixing the filling he had decided upon in the same pan.

"Finn, plates." Kurt's voice was clipped, but both Finn and Blaine knew him well enough to hear the repressed laughter beneath the frost.

.

Finn stood gingerly and straightened up.  
>He quickly set up three plates on the bench and watched as Kurt and Blaine whirled into their dance once more.<p>

An expertly turned omelette, filled with mushrooms, onions and that stinky runny cheese Kurt liked so much (and which Finn had to admit a more than passing fondness for himself) was cut into three pieces (two large, one small).

It was joined on the plates by fresh, paper thin crepes, filled with a mixture of strawberry preserves, fresh basil and toasted almond flakes.

Finn was amazed. The entire process had taken the boys less than fifteen minutes, and that was with frequent 'snogging' breaks.

.

"Eat fast Blaine, we'll need to clean up and I still need to get ready before we can leave. Your car today?"

Blaine nodded, his mouth already full.

"I can clean up if you like, "Finn offered between bites. He was learning table manners at last.

"Finn, "Kurt sounded kind but severe, "Can I really trust you to clean up properly?"

"Of course you can, "Finn replied, "I told you, Puck and I have an all nighter planned. Call of Duty? The game?"

"I know what it is Finn. Last time I played I beat you and Noah easily."

Finn opened his mouth to speak.

"And that was after I had spoken to your X-box about letting me win, so it was a genuine victory."

Finn nodded. "I know, but that's why you can trust that I will clean the kitchen to your satisfaction."

.

Kurt looked puzzled for a moment.

Finn finished his breakfast and took the dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher.  
>Kurt sat there staring at his brother.<p>

"I don't..." Kurt began.

"If I don't leave the kitchen spotless, someone..." Finn glared at the fridge, "Will tattle to my X-box and it will refuse to play for me tonight. So you two go have fun... or at least as much fun as you can at a hospital and leave ME to be the Mom, OK?"

Finn took their dishes and began to tidy the kitchen.

Kurt sat there looking stunned.  
>Blaine wrinkled his brow as he tried to sense what Kurt was thinking.<p>

Kurt finally spoke.

.

"...guh..."

Blaine smirked a little at Kurt's obvious shock.

"Darling? What's wrong? What's got you so speechless huh?"

Kurt looked at Blaine, his mouth quivering into a shocked smile.

"I finally believe in magic."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Kurt and Blaine had separated once they got to the hospital.

.

Blaine headed straight for his appointment. It was a standard medical check up. Blood tests, reflexes, x-rays, all pretty standard, but it would take at least an hour.

Kurt had made his appointment for half an hour later, and took the time to pop in to see Steffi.

.

He found her surrounded by flowers, with Pete sitting in the visitors chair and Miss Meggle playing on the bed.

"How on earth...?"

All three looked up as Kurt entered.

"I'm getting out of this dump today! "Steffi beamed at him.

Kurt frowned slightly, then pasted a smile on his face.

"Oh... great! "Kurt was worried about the girl. She was already too thin, too tired looking, and her belly was... HUGE.

"I've told her she can't come back to the factory, it just isn't safe. We can't risk her health, or the baby's."

"So where are you going then?" Kurt waited for the girl to answer.

"I want to go with Pete and...OW!"

.

The small kitten had turned to glare at Steffi as she began her sentence and had bitten the girl on the thumb as she spoke.

"Ok then, "Steffi said, glaring at the cat, "I guess I'll have to go to Quinn's place. At least she understands where I'm coming from, and her mom is a bit freaky, but she's cool too... I guess."

Kurt smiled.

"Steffi, I'm really glad that's your choice, "He began, "But not just because it's the best idea for you and your baby."

Steffi seemed sceptical.

"I mean it. Quinn is a friend, and what she went through in her sophomore year... let's just say, I think she really needs someone to talk to about it."

Steffi nodded reluctantly.

.

"So don't think of this as you getting charity, or pity or anything, "Kurt felt the spike in Steffi's emotions as he said that which confirmed his suspicions about her reluctance to live with the Fabray girls. "Both Quinn and her mom need someone who can keep it real, and let them talk through their issues. Someone tough, but kind. I think you might be the girl for the job."

Steffi stared at him.

Kurt nodded at her.

"Too much?"

Steffi grinned and nodded back.

"You should have stopped at 'anything', you were doing well before then."

.

Pete smiled at them both. He was looking particularly well dressed this morning.

"Where on earth did you find that shirt Pete? I believe it might just be Armani!"

Pete laughed gently.

.

"It is, I used to wear fancy clothes all the time remember. I was coming to visit Steffi this morning and I just found it caught on the fence near the factory. It must have blown off someone's line. I took it to the police but they told me no one would be looking for it. I left them your number just in case Kurt, I remembered it from when you told me the second time we met."

Kurt smiled to himself at the luck he had inadvertently wished onto Pete.

"So though wasn't going to wear it I took it with me in one of those plastic bags things, but then a car drove past as I was leaving the station and I got covered in mud. Rotten luck, I know."

Kurt was surprised anything bad had happened to Pete. Maybe the magic was...

.

"Lucky for me though, a guy across the road, I think his name was Endo or... Enzo! That's it! He was coming to visit his cousin who's a cop. He offered me a pair of pants he happened to have in the back of his car, by then his cousin had come out, and his cousin, the cop, lent me some spare shoes too. Lucky we're the same size huh!"

Kurt stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

.

"So Enzo's cousin Ernie offered to lend me this tie, because he said this sort of shirt really needs something around the next to make it 'pop'..."

Kurt nodded in agreement. This cop sounded like good people.

"...and then he gave me a lift here. He had to come to interview one of the guys who beat up that kid in the park last week, apparently he's in here being treated for drug withdrawal or something."

Kurt nodded grimly.

"Lucky I made it here earlier than I was going to. Steffi has already been discharged by her doctor, we're just waiting for Quinn to show up and..."

.

Quinn and Judy walked through the door at that moment. Pete rose to his feet and greeted them both politely

"Mrs Fabray, this is my friend Pete. I told you about him. He's the one who had been looking out for me."  
>The affection in Steffi's voice was a huge change from her usual casual demeanour.<p>

.

Judy Fabray appraised the figure in front of her rapidly. Her gaze took in the high-end clothing, the shiny shoes.

He was a very handsome man, she thought.

Only the long hair and the slight aura of sadness and world-weariness suggested this man was homeless, and until recently had been, in his own words, an alcoholic bum.

Pete stared at Judy too. She was... beautiful.

.

Kurt and Steffi shared a look.  
>Quinn smiled at her mother's sudden blush.<p>

Quinn liked Pete. She liked him a lot.

He was a good man, and they were hard to find.

The kitten on the bed chose that moment to meow loudly.

.

Pete and Judy both jumped at the noise and reached for the cat at the same moment.

Their hands touched and they both froze.  
>Miss Meggle rubbed her head against the touching fingers and purred loudly.<p>

.

"Is she yours?" Judy asked, not moving her hand.

"She is currently with me, but I think she might need to stay with Steffi to keep her company."

Steffi began to protest but the kitten cut her off with a slight hiss.

"It's almost like she can talk!" Judy laughed.

"I can't leave you alone Pete, "Steffi began.

.

"I need you to look after her anyway, "Pete said, "I never finished my story to Kurt. So Ernie, the cop cousin of the guy who lent me these pants, he told me about this job he heard about at the station. They need someone to help run an outreach program for homeless and at risk youth. Apparently the publicity about the attack on that kid in the park has shaken some money out of city hall. Some woman called Sylvester, what a name to call a girl huh? Well apparently she's organised a whole committee to counsel and support kids in need. Ernie reckons he can pull some strings and get me the job. I'll be being paid to do what I already do for nothing. But because it's going to be a bit hectic for the next few weeks, I need someone to look after Meggle for me."

He turned to Steffi, "So you see, you'd really be helping me out here Steff."

.

Steffi blinked and turned to Kurt, whispering. "See, that's the right place to stop."

Kurt nodded.

.

Quinn smiled as a thought crossed her mind.  
>"Pete, we'd expect you to visit Meggle, and Steffi too, at least every other day, even if only for an hour or two."<p>

Pete agreed and the final word was Miss Meggle who licked his hand lovingly before leaping into the arms of Judy Fabray.

Steffi and Quinn smiled at each other.

"Goodness, "Judy said, "It is almost like she can speak."

"I wish she could, "said Pete, "I'm sure she'd have a lot of wisdom to share."

.

Kurt smiled to himself and reached into his pocket. A few seconds later he muttered something under his breath and withdrew his hand.

"Ok, we better get moving. "Judy said as she juggled a kitten in one hand and her new house guest in the other.

"I better get to my appointment too, "Kurt said, making eye contact with Quinn and Steffi as he left.

.

His last glance was at the kitten, purring in Judy's arms.

Her wide eyes looked deeply into his as she slowly winked.

/**THANKYOU KURT**/

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Jeff Sterling sat against the wall of the physical therapy room and tried not to scream, or cry.

.

For the past hour he had watched as Dave Karofsky had been put through hell all over again.

The therapist was good. Jeff recalled the time his grandmother had had a stroke. Her therapist hadn't been nearly as good as this one seemed to be.

Of course, his grandmother hadn't had a therapist flown in from Cedars Sinai either.

Blaine had done this, Jeff thought. But how the hell could even the Andersons afford to fly in one of the best physiotherapists in the world at a days notice?

However good the therapist was, however, the fact remained that Dave was a seriously injured boy.

.

Jeff sat in admiration as the large frame of Dave Karofsky lurched to standing once more and held himself between the parallel bars for what seemed like an eternity.

Dave's doctors were amazed and a little frightened at the speed of his healing. It was eight days after his broken and bleeding body had spent almost half a day in the OR while a team of surgeons had taken turns to pin bones back together, repair torn organs, stop bleeding.

Dave should have been dead, Jeff had heard several times.

He had died on the table at least five times.  
>Each time his heart had stopped however, a few seconds later it had started again.<p>

The staff had taken to calling the muscular boy Wolverine.

.

Jeff still couldn't believe Dave was in rehab already.

He should have died, but he lived.  
>He should be paralysed, but he wasn't.<br>He should be facing months of slow painful healing before his bones were strong enough to even think about physical therapy.

Jeff watched as the muscles in Dave's legs and arms worked together to help him take a step without falling.

It had to hurt.

.

Jeff had seen the series of X-rays, and Jeff not only had a long history of medical men (and women) in his family, but he himself was intending a career in medicine.

Dave's bones had healed forty, maybe fifty times faster than humanly possible.

Maybe he was Wolverine.

.

The therapist had been amazed at how far Dave could push himself.

The boy's determination and sheer willpower had amazed the man.

Now Dave had insisted on seeing how far he could walk.  
>It was only his first session, and already he was trying to walk.<p>

.

Jeff was convinced Dave could do anything

.

.

Kurt came in as Dave sank back into the wheelchair with face white from effort and his limbs shaking.

He had managed two steps.  
>Jeff hadn't quite managed not to cry, which in turn had made Dave hold him close until Jeff had stopped sobbing.<p>

.

Jeff and Kurt had left the shaken therapist to write up his notes and wheeled Dave back to his new private room.  
>The corridors were busy. Nurses and Doctors bustled about. Patients and visitors were everywhere.<p>

Kurt spotted a policeman in uniform sitting outside a room at the end of the far corridor.

Ah, he thought, that would be the secure facility.

.

.

The boys manoeuvred Dave's chair past a small Chinese cleaner who was mopping up a spill of some sort and headed for the corridor containing private rooms.

.

Kurt and Blaine had arranged Dave's new room overnight, even making sure the room was as close as possible to the children's ward so Dave could visit when he wanted to.

The three boys were chatting quietly in Dave's room when Blaine arrived.

Kurt turned from his concentration on Dave as Blaine entered the room.

As he looked at Blaine, Jeff noticed Kurt stiffen his back and a look of worry appeared on his face.

Blaine was tight lipped and pale.

.

"What is it?" Kurt asked frantically, "Something is wrong. Tell me!"

Blaine smiled a forced smile and tried to make a joke.

"Well Kurt... I have good news and... not so good news."

Jeff found himself holding Dave's hand. Something was definitely wrong here.

Kurt was reaching for Blaine's hands too.

.

"Tell. Me. Now!"  
>Jeff and Dave decided that stones would speak if commanded by Kurt in that tone.<p>

.

"Well, the good news is, I have more time to spend with you this summer. They won't pass me for the medical for Six Flags..."  
>Blaine was upset, even Dave could tell that.<p>

"Why not?"  
>Kurt's voice was like ice.<p>

"They spotted... that is they think I might have..."

.

Kurt just held Blaine close to him and let Blaine weep.

"Tell me. Please."

"A tumour. I have a shadow in my chest, near my right lung. They want me to book in for a biopsy as soon as possible."

Kurt shook with fear and his world spun.

.

.

"That would be unwise Grandson of mine." Grandpa Pang stood in the doorway, still holding his mop.

.

"What's happening Grandpa Pang?" Kurt was terrified, "What's wrong with Blaine?"

"Nothing is wrong with my Grandson, "Pang replied calmly. His golden voice began to work its magic on Blaine and Kurt and soon they relaxed.

Jeff sat on the bed next to Dave's chair and watched silently.

"But what is it they've spotted then?" Blaine asked.

Grandpa Pang smiled reassuringly at them, then let fly with one of the worst Austrian accents Kurt had ever heard.

.

"It's not a too-more!"

Oh for the love of Alexander McQueen, Kurt thought, Pang was channelling the Governator.


	32. Doctors and Dragons

**A/N: Well, I survived the great "Time of No Sleep", although it was touch and go for a while there. (or rather, miss and go, I kept dropping things)**

**Another chapter fresh from the plot bunny. Every time I start to work on a chapter about Quinn and Steffi etc, I get a whole flood of something else. I'm beginning to develop a complex about it.**  
><strong>Speaking of complex - the last part of this chapter is especially complex. <strong>

**Several things are happening in SLIGHTLY different locations at the same time. I don't want to use the crude tools of BOLD and _ITALIC_ that are all I have here, so if you could try to read it carefully it will work ever so much better.**  
><strong>I've tried to make the jumps between points of view as clear as they can be. <strong>

**Might I perhaps suggest reading it aloud in different voices (or with friends, then you could have a bit each!)**  
><strong>OR, you could do what I did, which was to sit in a slightly different part of my chair every time I changed the 'focus' of the 'camera shot'. (Just imagine it's a movie, it works then.)<strong>

**Please feel free to tell me what you think. (Reviews are like ...well, they're like wonderful really)**

**Bonus points to anyone who can spot the very vague Princess Bride quote I only noticed had crept in on about the third edit.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to claim ownership of Glee. I'd love to get it as a gift, but I can't afford to buy it. Remember, you still have time before Christmas to get me the rights to Glee (or even just one of the boys would do, mmm, Dave with a ribbon round him!)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Who do you think the crazy old guy with the mop is?" Dave whispered in Jeff's ear.  
>Jeff shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know. Coincidentally, the shrugging motion proved to be an excellent way to hide the shiver that went up his spine at the sensation of Dave's warm breath moving across Jeff's neck and face.<p>

"Is he a Doctor I wonder? "Jeff mused, "He seems to know all about whatever this thing they've found in Blaine's X-rays might be."

Jeff had turned his face toward Dave to help muffle his voice, but he kept his eyes firmly on the scene being played out in the doorway of Dave's room. Because of this, Jeff missed the shudder and the sudden blush that Dave experienced as he realised that Jeff lips were moving about an inch away from the open collar of Dave's hospital gown.

Dave experienced a rush of thoughts.  
>Damn, the dude smells so damn good, that must be some fancy aftershave he's wearing.<br>I wonder how often he shaves.  
>It's hard to tell, he's so fair and his skin looks so soft.<p>

Dave looked down at the perfectly formed pink bow of Jeff's mouth and...

Jeff turned to look at Dave as he heard a hiss of pain.

"Are you ok?"

Dave nodded and scooted back against the pillow, feigning discomfort in his legs and back. Actually, it wasn't entirely an act. He really was in agony.

"I just moved wrong, "Dave grimaced, "My legs are a bit sore from all that hiking."

Jeff, without realising what he was doing, placed a warm, caring hand on Dave's lower thigh as he gave Dave a supportive touch on his elbow.

"I'm blown away by you Dave, "The blond Warbler shook his head, "You would have to be the bravest person I have ever met."

Dave was finding it difficult to form coherent sentences with the distraction of Jeff's hand touching his blanket covered leg.  
>Come to that, Dave was finding it difficult to form words.<br>Hell, Dave was struggling not to pass out as he forgot how to breathe.

From the sound of the whispered conversation Blaine and Kurt were having with the strange Chinese man, they knew him and trusted him. Kurt however was demanding to know 'how you could have missed this?'

.

Dave was worried about Blaine too.  
>He didn't really know the boy all that well, but he was obviously of indescribable importance to Kurt. And Kurt was an important person to Dave Karofsky, a very important person.<p>

"So, do you think Blaine is really sick or not?" Dave whispered to Jeff, careful this time not to get too close.

"I hope he's fine, "Jeff replied, "What I really am curious about it how he and Kurt have managed to afford the things they've paid for in the last week or so."

"What do you mean?" Dave was curious.

"Well, this room for a start. I mean, my folks would probably have enough spare cash to lay out for the cost of this room, but to get all the paperwork worked out in less than twelve hours? And what about that therapist? He's one of the best in the world Dave... in the world! That sort of expertise doesn't come cheap, especially not on a day's notice."

Dave hadn't really given it much thought, but now that Jeff mentioned it...

"I don't deserve any of this..."

.

Jeff placed a hand on Dave's chest for a second, glaring at him fiercely, then pulled it away as if burned and had to stammer a little through a blush.

"Don't you dare say that Dave! You are a hero. You are a worthwhile human being. You are brave and kind and gentle and I will smash anyone who dares to differ in the face with a bedpan... you included!"

Dave shifted uncomfortably and began to demur.

"I mean it Karofsky! "Jeff was waving his finger under Dave's nose just like...  
>Dave remembered that time in the locker room with Kurt telling him off and...<p>

"I'm not gentle, "He said, hoping to distract Jeff from continuing his tirade. Hoping to divert his own thoughts as well. "I'm in the starting line up of the football and the hockey teams. I broke eight limbs last season, none of which were mine, I'm far from gentle. I'm a violent and angry bully Jeff. I'm trying to change, but basically, deep down, that's all I am.

Jeff snorted a little.

"Oh please, "He whispered, "I've saw you this morning, singing to the kids with me remember? You are not a monster Dave, not deep down, and not on the surface either. You're just a big cuddly teddy bear. Those kids would have been all over you if we hadn't had to warn them about your stitches and pinned bones. As it was that little Andrea..."

"Althea, "Dave corrected gently.

"...Althea! "Jeff smiled at the larger boy, "She was so determined to find a way to cuddle 'DaverWee' without hurting you that you eventually reversed your chair next to her bed and let her cuddle the top of your head. Face it Dave, you're a big snuggle-bunny and a total pushover."

"Only for those under four, "Dave said, "or sick kids who just really need a hug."

Jeff smirked at the footballer.

"I saw you crying too, during 'story time'. Althea was wiping your face with a Kleenex and you were trying to pretend you had something caught in your eye."

"I did... um... an eyelash..."

"Both of them at once?"

.

Dave glared ferociously at the slender blond who was perched on the side of his bed, leaning into him as they conversed while Blaine and Kurt and...whoever, argued and talked about seven or eight paces away.

"I hate you Jeff Sterling, I really, really do."

Jeff bit his lip and smirked a little more.

"I ain't afraid of no 'lapin de câlin', "said Jeff waving his finger beneath Dave's nose in a provocative fashion.

"If I find out that means something rude..."  
>Dave made a fist and moved his arm back in mock threat, suddenly hissing again with pain and turning pale as he strained his already tender ribs.<p>

"Careful dude, I want you in one piece, ok?"

Dave smiled shyly at the blond.  
>"Why so much concern? "He asked, "Not that I'm not grateful. I just... I mean, I'm not anyone special. You must have tons of things to do with your real friends this summer. Why waste your time keeping the cripple company when you should be out having fun?"<p>

Jeff met Dave's gaze without wavering, or even blinking.  
>"I like spending time with you Dave."<p>

Dave quashed a smile before he could expose his thrill at hearing those words.  
>"What about Nick? Isn't he upset about you hanging around here? "<p>

"Nick and I aren't joined at the hip you know, no matter what Kurt and the hobbit may have told you."

"But he must want you to spend time with him."

Jeff nodded, as if explaining to a small child.  
>"And I will, but now I want to spend time with you, so stop trying to make me leave ya big lug. Besides, Nick says he has a hot date for this afternoon.""<p>

Dave was confused now.  
>"But I thought..." He trailed away with an embarrassed blush.<p>

Jeff rolled his eyes.  
>"Oh God, not you too. Nick is my friend. Just a friend. Not a boyfriend, just a friend who happens to be a boy. A straight boy. A very, very straight, if somewhat metro sexual boy."<p>

"So... he's straight then?"

Jeff let out a slight scream and punched Dave in the chest playfully.  
>Dave gasped and went white with pain again.<p>

"Oh God, Oh God, I'm so sorry! "Jeff was frantic with worry now, "Oh God Dave, I forgot, Oh..."

"It's ok dude, "Dave caught Jeff's wrists in his large hands and stopped the boy from running out of the room, "It just surprised me is all. The ribs are almost healed. No damage done. Calm down already, ok?"

"It's just, you've healed so fast, I keep forgetting you were so badly hurt to start with. Are you sure you're OK though?"

Dave nodded.  
>"I got injured a few times playing hockey, and even I can't believe how fast I've been healing. It still hurts, but pain fades. Besides, I always feel a whole lot better when you are here."<p>

Jeff blushed and looked down to his wrists which were still held in Dave's large, calloused hands.  
>Dave let him go with an embarrassed apology.<br>"Sorry, I didn't mean to...I'm so sorry..."

"I make you feel better?"

Dave nodded seriously.  
>"And I don't just mean emotionally either. Things hurt less when you are near me, I really don't think I'd have been able to do a fifth of the therapy session I did today if you hadn't been there. It's like your some sort of walking chicken soup or something... I just know that when you are near me, I actually feel ok. When you touch me..."<br>Dave broke off again and bit his lip, trying not to make eye contact with the boy who was sitting, so, damned, close to him.

Jeff smiled strangely at him and Dave was caught up in his gaze despite his best efforts.

.

"Dave..." Jeff gently placed his hands on top of Dave's wrists in a trapeze grasp, "You know... I never said you had to let go."

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Burt Hummel was deep in the bowels of an elderly ford pickup when he realised he had left the socket wrench he needed on the workbench.  
>The workbench which was just too damned far to reach from where he was standing, and having spent the last five, frustrating minutes searching for the problem, and managing to locate the loose nut with his fingers, he really didn't want to let go of it and have to spend another five minutes trying to find it again.<p>

"Harry, "He called out, hoping his mechanic hadn't already slipped out for his very late lunch break, "If you're still around could you hand me the five-sixteenths socket wrench that's lying next to my red toolbox here?"

"Here you go Mr Hummel, the gremlins who live in your waste oil tank say this is the one you want."

Someone handed a shocked Burt a socket slightly smaller than the one he requested.

"Oh, hi Brittany, "Burt said, "um... thanks for the help sweetie, but I really do need the one that was next to this one."

Brittany Pierce smiled at him and handed him the wrench he requested, taking back the first wrench.

Burt struggled with the tool, finally giving up.  
>"What is wrong with this da-... darned thing?" He exclaimed in frustration.<p>

"Try this one."  
>Brittany handed him the tool she had originally given him.<p>

Burt shrugged and reached back into the unseen depths of the engine.

"Well I'll be..." He tightened the recalcitrant nut and straightened up. "I've never seen a Ford engine that uses that size. Not ever."

"It was a custom job." Brittany nodded matter-of-factly.

"Well I am sorry I doubted you Brittany."

"Oh, that's ok Mr Hummel, lots of people doubt me. Sometimes I doubt me too. Lord Tubbington says I shouldn't doubt myself so much, but I know I'm not exactly smart, so it's really hard sometimes not to let the doubt monsters in."

Burt shook his head, sometimes this girl was...  
>Wait a second.<p>

.

"Brittany, "Burt asked as he cleaned the grease off his fingers, "Who exactly is Lord Tubbington?"

"My cat."

Burt nodded thoughtfully.  
>A few weeks ago he would have laughed and scratched his head and gone on thinking the poor girl was as crazy as everyone always said she was but now...<p>

"Did he tell you about the wrench?"

"Is he here? "The blond girl started looking under cars and on the high shelves. "He better not have followed me, except he can't have followed me, I came from Quinn's house and he's at home. He might have come from my house to follow me to here, but wouldn't he have to go to Quinn's house first? I mean, if I wasn't at home, but was at Quinn's, then he couldn't follow me from home because there'd be no-one to follow. Do you follow Mr Hummel? Santana says people follow me because I'm a trendsetter, like when Rachel Berry gave me money to wear her leg warmers, but my legs were already warm so I wore them on my arms because my arms were cold and everyone at school started wearing them just like that. Santana said I was a real trendsetter, but I thought jello was the stuff that set. My mom made me jello the other night for dessert and it totally set like rubber because she used too much of the crystal stuff and not enough water, so it sort of turned out like raspberry flavoured rubber. It was still totally delicious though, except it took a long time to eat it, and my jaw was almost as sore as that time Coach made us do smiling practice for a whole weekend, except it turned out that she had told everyone to stop after we finished practice Friday night but I'd been in the bathroom when she told everyone because I really had to pee because smiling dries my mouth out a lot so I always make sure to drink lots of water. Kurt taught me that one. Anyway, I drank lots of water before we started because, like I said, smiling nonstop makes my mouth go all dry and by then I really had to pee and Coach doesn't mind too much if I need to race off in the middle of practice ever since that time I was almost at the top of the pyramid and...Oh wait, she told me not to talk about that one so could you just forget said anything about that Mr Hummel? Oh, and before I forget. Where's your telephone?"

Burt stared at the girl and pointed silently to the phone on the wall.

Brittany smiled at him.

"I called Mrs Hummel already and told her to meet me here as soon as she could. I know she told me to call her Carole but it still feels a bit funny. I suppose I should try though, I mean we're going to be... going to be... No? We're...oh, shoot, I've forgotten that, sorry. So anyway, she's going to be here soon, except she's going to get caught in a nasty tailback just off the interstate and be a few minutes late. I thought I better get here myself so she wouldn't be too upset about what's going to happen. I mean, I know you're going to be fine and all, but it will still probably be a bit of a shock for her. For you too I suppose Mr Hummel, so I thought a friendly face might be nice. Lord Tubbington tells me I have a friendly face, and Santana likes to kiss it so I suppose she likes it too. Oh, I probably shouldn't have told you that. Anyway Mr Hummel, I don't want you to worry about a thing. I'll look after Mrs Hummel, I mean Carole, and wait with her and Kurt is going to freak out a little, but his guardian angels are going to fix everything up just fine. Better than fine actually, by which I mean, better than things were before it happened. Are. Were? Will are? Was? Ugh, verbal is so confusing sometimes. You just stay strong and don't be too scared, ok?"

Brittany did a twirl and made a sort of floating gesture with her arms as she turned her face to the sunlight.

Burt was totally lost now, and beginning to get a little dizzy trying to follow the girl's train of thought.  
>Actually, he was really starting to feel...<p>

Brittany was surprisingly strong as she caught Burt as he wavered on his feet and helped him sit against the wall near the phone. She took the keys to the garage from the hook and waved them at him.

"I'll lock up once you guys leave, and meet you once you get there. I'll have to pop home to see if Lord Tubbington needs to come too, but I promise I'll speed like an insane person the whole way, so don't worry. I know you'll need me to help calm Kurt down."

Burt was feeling very...

"I better make that call now, so me and Mrs Hum...I mean Carole aren't waiting around for ages. You have a lie down."

Burt felt nauseous and couldn't quite catch his breath.  
>His vision was blurring, narrowing.<br>All he could see was the sun coming through the garage doors and gleaming off the golden hair of Brittany as she stood with the telephone receiver in her hand staring into space.

.

"Mr Hummel? Before you go, could you tell me what the number for 911 is?"  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Kurt was fuming and Blaine was still in shock.

Grandpa Pang was a little disappointed at the reception for his finely crafted movie reference, but he understood the emotions both boys must be feeling.  
>With a friendly wave at the confused figures of Dave and Jeff he turned to face the wrath of Kurt.<p>

"What the hell is going on with Blaine? You know something? Spill it now. You may be forty thousand years old but so help me if Blaine is harmed by you playing silly games with our lives I will end you old man."

Pang blinked, perhaps his assessment of Kurt had missed something. He was so sure the young boy had no dragon blood in him, despite the traces of dragon magic he had sensed as he soul-gazed with him in the pool. Certainly his ferocious and immense love for Blaine was Draconic in its immensity.

"Be calm young master, Blaine is in no danger. Far from it. This shadow your doctors have found, that they are so concerned about, it will not harm him."

"You looked into our eyes Pang. You could trace our bloodlines back over a hundred generations. How on earth could you miss something like this?"

"Kurt..." Blaine tried to interrupt.

Pang smiled gently at Kurt's anxiety.  
>"I did not miss it. I just didn't understand what it was. I have since done some research, thanks to your parents and their extensive cable television subscription, and now I am satisfied I know exactly what is happening to my beloved grandson."<p>

.

Kurt bit his lip as Grandpa Pang reminded him that he too loved Blaine.

"I'm just so scared..."

"Why didn't you tell me about it yesterday Grandpa? "Blaine asked calmly, "I mean, what did you think it was if you saw it then?"

"No idea then, but I could see it meant you only good. I know what cancer looks like. I know what disease, parasites, infection, all the bad things look like. This was a pure thing. I thought it might be noticed soon though, so I undertook the arduous task of researching its meaning."

"You didn't tell us everything you saw, did you?" Blaine was not exactly disappointed but...

"I told you as much as you could handle at the time. I did not tell you those things I was unsure about, or that you did not need to be worried about. I did not know my omissions would catch up with me so soon. I am sorry if it upset either of you, but you must understand, I have seen so many things. I'm old you know. There are things I know you just don't need to be told of yet, either because you could not yet understand them, or because they are simply too trivial to know. "

Pang smiled sadly at the boys.

"I am not a seer. I have some ability to predict things that may occur, but it's really only the experience of living for forty thousand years and a habit of noticing things around me. True seers are frightening you know. Rare and gifted and usually quite mad. I came here today to tell you certain things I feel you need to know. I will be honest with you though. I know more than I will tell you. I will not share everything I know with you, for a start, it would take more than forty thousand years to relate it all, and besides, you need to start learning about the world using your own resources."

Kurt reached out to hug the old dragon.  
>"I think I understand. I may not like it, but I have a habit of playing my cards close to my chest too you know."<p>

Pang smiled warmly this time.  
>"All the best people do."<p>

.

.

.

A muffled scream came through the door to Dave's room, followed by the unmistakeable sound of gunfire.

A few seconds later a wild-eyed figure in prison overalls, wielding what looked for all the world like a police-issue handgun burst into the room and trained the gun on the group just inside the doorway.

Jeff let out a soft cry, and stood up.  
>The movement caused the gunman to tighten his grip on the trigger.<br>The semi-automatic pistol fired a burst of rounds.

.

Everything happened in slow motion.

.

.

Blaine instinctively grabbed the arm of Grandpa Pang and with his full strength pulled the old man behind him.

Jeff froze as he watched the bullets heading for him, his last act was to turn to see Dave's face.

Dave Karofsky found strength within himself that he hadn't known he possessed.  
>With a cry of pain he hurled his battered and exhausted body off the bed, wrapping himself around the front of the slender form of Jeff Sterling and bearing the two of them to the unforgiving and hard hospital floor.<p>

Kurt reached out with mental tendrils of pure magic and froze the gun before it could fire another burst, even as he threw himself into the path of the bullets.  
>Five bullets left the gun before it understood what Kurt wanted and jammed itself.<p>

Two hit the floor, one lodging there harmlessly, the other ricocheting into the ceiling and destroying one of the fluorescent tubes there.

One bullet lodged in the shoulder of Dave Karofsky before he began to fall, and shattered his scapula. Its forward momentum stopped by the bone, it was thus prevented from hitting its original target, the chest of Jeff Sterling.

The other two bullets hit Kurt in the torso at a distance of about three yards.

Blaine froze as he saw two small spots of red appear on Kurt's pristine shirt.  
>Ah, he thought, not soft nose bullets then, small mercies.<p>

The crazed gunman screamed with frustration as his gun jammed.

Grandpa Pang began to say something.

Blaine went mad.

.

.

.

Pain exploded across Jeff's body as he hit the floor with a bone smashing thud.  
>His only thought was to try to soften the fall for Dave, so Jeff tried to catch him and ease him down as gently as he could.<br>It didn't really work.

Dave felt fire engulf his left side and his left arm fell from around Jeff's body, flopping uselessly.  
>Dave hit the floor hard, although he could see Jeff straining to keep Dave's head from hitting too.<br>Dave felt fragile bones re-break and stitches tear, but he could see Jeff was unhurt, and that was all that mattered.  
>Dave stopped himself from passing out by sheer force of will.<br>"Are you ok dude?"

"Oh God, are you... your arm. Dave!"

"Just a flesh wound. I needed an excuse for you to stick around, to make me all better."

Jeff looked into Dave's green and hazel eyes.  
>Dave looked back.<br>Their lips were very close.

.

.

As Kurt felt himself falling, all he could think about was if Blaine would be ok.

.

.

Grandpa Pang began to summon ice.  
>He knew that cold would protect Kurt's body from at least some of the damage the bullets must have caused.<br>If he could freeze the young boy to the point just before death, the wonderful doctors here might have a chance to save him.

.

.

The gun-less gunman turned to face the two boys and the old man who stood before him.  
>He must still be suffering from lack of drugs, he decided, it looked like it was snowing indoors, and that short kid with the curly hair, he was...oh my god!<p>

.

.

Blaine felt his flesh tear and his bones burn like acid and lava and freezer burn all at the same time.

A silver form writhed in mid-air.  
>Five clawed limbs reached for the man who had hurt Kurt.<br>Twenty feet, roughly, of silver scales edged with green and brown wrapped around the man as the huge glowing pearl in the Dragon's forehead glowed like fire.

.

.

Jeff and Dave barely noticed the transformation.  
>Dave could feel consciousness fading.<p>

"I just wanted to keep everyone safe. I'm so sorry I failed Jeff. I... it hurts. I'm sorry..."

Jeff was crying again.  
>"Let me kiss it better."<br>Their lips touched and...

.

.

Kurt felt ice surrounding him as he was falling.  
>So cold. He was so cold.<br>The room was fading to black when suddenly he saw...

.

.

Blaine wrapped his body around the man who had tried to kill his love.  
>He felt the man go limp within his coils, but still he squeezed and squeezed and...<p>

.

.

.

Silver sparks exploded from near the back of the room, where Jeff and Dave lay.

.

Where Jeff was being lifted onto the empty hospital bed by... Dave?

Dave placed another gentle kiss on Jeff's lips and turned to catch Kurt as he fell in slow motion, still held up by the icy winds of Pang's storm.

Huge white wings wrapped around the gentle counter-tenor as Dave lowered him reverently to the floor.

Dave looked at the wounds in Kurt's chest.  
>"No! "Dave said, "Mine. I will take them."<p>

Dave shuddered with agony as the wounds faded from Kurt's chest and appeared in his own.  
>He felt the bullets tearing through his flesh, through bone, through...<p>

The pain faded.  
>The wounds faded.<br>Dave Karofsky sat on the cold floor, in a puddle of melting snow, holding a wet, cold but very healthy Kurt.

Dave's broad back was still clad in the damaged remains of his hospital gown, but no wounds were visible.  
>Only faint scars could be seen, no stitches, no shattered shoulder blades.<br>No wings either.

Kurt reached out for his boyfriend.  
>"Blaine! Blaine! Let him go. Blaine! Drop it! BLAINE, I NEED YOU!"<p>

.

.

Blaine turned from his prey, dropping the unconscious but still breathing body to the floor.

The dragon turned and lunged for the boy who was standing up and trying not to cry at the damage done to his lovely shirt.

By the time Blaine got to Kurt two warm, human arms held Kurt to his chest and Kurt was sobbing into the adorable mess of curly hair he loved so much.

.

Dave stood too.  
>There was no pain.<br>None.

He turned to Jeff, blushing with emotions, not the least of which was embarrassment.  
>"You... you kissed me!" He stammered.<p>

Jeff raised his brows and smiled.  
>"No, you kissed me."<p>

Dave looked confused.

.

"What the hell just happened?" Kurt asked shakily.

Pang laughed and clapped his hands.  
>"Someone's wishes just came true."<p>

"Whose?" Blaine asked.

.

"Mine!" The other three boys said at exactly the same time.


	33. So, Tell Me How You Really Feel

**A/N: Hello all! Me again. I know things have been getting a bit freaky, but just chill and bear with it. If it helps you cope, just imagine how freaked out I feel. this stuff is coming out of my head you know - even if I don't know where it is from.  
>Some of the recent reviews (and some private messages also) have pointed out that i don't always explain everything to the reader.<strong>

**Well spotted.  
>You are correct.<br>Build a bridge.**

**I have faith in your abilities to work things out, or look things up. It's the internet people - Wikigoogle exists for a reason. (ooo, cool name!)**

**Hmm, that came out sounding snarkier than I intended, but you all know I really love you. I just refuse to treat you like babies. You are all smart, intelligent and wonderfully tasteful individuals. (Hello, you've made it to Chapter thirty-Freakin-THREE!)**  
><strong>Hell, I'VE made it to Chapoter 33! (faints)<strong>  
><strong>This is all the plot bunny left me with so far - I hope it at least entertains, even if it struggles to make sense.<strong>

**Long, detailed and constructive Reviews are, as always the perfect gift for Spring (and it's SPRING here, so I want SPRING gifts, unless it includes a ticket to the Northern Hemisphere, then I'll accept Fall gifts with alacrity!)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I'm not a writer on Glee, therefore I don't own the characters. I'm not trying to profit by them materially, only spiritually.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

Jeff Sterling was trying to work out when it was, exactly, that he had lost his mind.  
>"...that's what I saw Blaine! Also, stop it with whatever mojo you think you're using on me man, I've spent way too many years listening to you being all charming and dapper to fall for it now. "<p>

Blaine Anderson blinked a little at the snap in Jeff's voice, but the small smile Jeff shot him as he was saying it reassured him that Jeff wasn't really angry.

"You will find that your gifts are going to struggle to overcome the young man's resistances now Blaine." Grandpa Pang was sitting in the chair next to Dave's bed looking as inscrutable as he could.

"How did you know Blaine was using mojo on you?" Dave asked as he continued to move his arms and flex his fingers, marvelling at the sheer joy of movement without pain.

Jeff snorted.  
>"I just watched him sweet talk a dozen uniformed cops, three nurses, four doctors and a detective sergeant out of this room in under four minutes. He even stopped anyone from examining Dave. I know how hospitals work guys, my mom used to be Chief of Surgery at St Rita's, remember? If that wasn't magic I don't know what is."<br>He turned to Kurt.  
>"And what was with the flying? Since when do you know how to fly?"<p>

Kurt looked confused, mostly because ...he was.  
>"Flying...?"<p>

.

"You were shot in the chest Kurt. Mr Miyagi here..." Jeff waved his hand to indicate Pang, "...He was turning you into some sort of frozen Kurtcicle while you just stayed floating in the air."

"The wind must have been holding him up, "Dave said.

"Then why didn't it affect you that way Dave?" Jeff was right. "I mean, I know you've got a few pounds on Kurt here, but a wind strong enough to hold up a teenage boy would have to at least knock you around a little."

.

Blaine nodded at the logic in that statement.

"...besides, Kurt's feet weren't actually touching the ground at that point. I'm pretty sure that's one of the main definitions of flying, 'trying to hit the ground and missing'!"

Kurt was still confused, turning to Grandpa Pang for an explanation.

"Don't look at me young master, "The old man shrugged, "I noticed that something in your blood and magic made cold no longer harmful to you. That's why I said you should go dancing in the snow. I didn't know it would make you fly. I told you, I'm not a real seer."

"Could someone tell me who this man is?" Jeff asked reasonably, "I mean, it's obvious you guys know him, and trust him, but Dave and I don't."

"Know me or trust me?" Asked Pang with a twinkle in his eye.

"Either, "Jeff answered quickly, "Both!"

.

Pang nodded.  
>"You are a very intelligent man then. Very well, I am Pang Lung, I am... well, for want of sufficient time to write out family trees and explain the complicated geography of my descendants, Blaine is my grandson."<p>

"You must be where he gets the whole 'I'm a dragon' thing from then?"

Pang nodded, again.  
>"I am a humble River Dragon."<p>

Jeff raised an eyebrow at that.  
>"Did Blaine ever tell you who won the Ancient History prize last year at Dalton Kurt?"<p>

Kurt shook his head in puzzlement.

"I counted toes Mr Pang." Jeff seemed to know something the others didn't.

Pang smiled faintly and bowed respectfully.

"I can still be humble though, and I am a River Dragon." He said softly, "And please, call me Grandpa Pang, everyone does."

.

Kurt looked into Jeff's eyes, then into Pang's.  
>"Explanation. Now."<p>

"Five claws, "Jeff said, "The claws are the mark of a Chinese Dragon's status. Only one Dragon has five claws."

"The Court has long since been disbanded. There are few left who even remember me now from those times."

Kurt raised his eyebrows now, and Jeff realised his danger.

"Grandpa Pang is... was, the Emperor Dragon, ruler of the Celestial Court."

Everyone looked at the elderly Chinese man sitting in the tacky hospital armchair, his mop still leaning in the bucket beside him.  
>Pang looked up and smiled.<p>

"See Blaine, the Lordship of Danaere castle is not your first title! Surprise!"

"Wait... Blaine is royalty too?" Dave was trying to listen in as he continued to enjoy the feeling of his muscles moving properly again.

"No I'm not." Blaine guffawed.

"You're my prince, always." Kurt smiled at him with a look of pure love.

"He has met the final test." Pang said softly.

"What test? "Kurt asked.

.

"Dude, we just saw your boyfriend turn into a freaking Dragon right there." Jeff pointed at the spot where the gunman had been standing.

Kurt hated being called 'dude' and Jeff knew that.  
>"Well maybe he did, "Kurt snapped snarkily, "But we just saw your boyfriend turn into a freaking ANGEL right there too!"<p>

Jeff paled slightly, he'd forgotten that part.

Dave Karofsky let out a soft gasp and the other occupants of the room turned to him.  
>His jaw had fallen open in shock and his hands had started to shake.<br>The look on Dave's face was one of pure shock, gradually becoming tinged with awe and fear.  
>He looked as if he couldn't decide whether to faint or laugh or cry.<p>

The others were confused by his distress. He was obviously reacting to something Kurt had said but...

Jeff understood what had frightened Dave so much. He smiled nervously at Dave and stood from where he had been sitting on the bed.  
>He walked slowly towards the stricken man and reached for his hands.<p>

"If... if you want to... I mean, I'd really... Not that I would want to pressure you, but... I guess, if you're ready I'd really, really like it if you would..."

Dave turned to him in wonder as hope drove the fear from his eyes.

Jeff drew closer.  
>"...be my boyfriend?"<p>

Dave held Jeff in his muscular arms and they kissed.  
>With a flare of silver light a pair of huge white wings reappeared, growing from Dave's back and wrapping around the pair, hiding them from view.<br>Silver sparks fell from the ceiling and the three onlookers heard... a strange echoing, metallic tinkle from the floor near the kissing pair's feet?

Dave pulled away from Jeff and his wings faded again.

Jeff looked down and picked something off the floor at their feet.  
>He turned to Kurt and the others and held out what he had found.<p>

"Please explain?"

Kurt and Blaine stared the objects in Jeff's outstretched palm.

Pang giggled with obvious joy.  
>"The magic has chosen for itself, "he said through his laughter, "The magic is spreading, it's growing, it's returning at last!"<p>

Dave and Jeff stood close to each other looking at the giggling dragon and the grinning Kurt and Blaine.

"It's a long story, "Kurt finally said, "Sit down and let us tell you about it all."

Dave leant back on his bed with Jeff's back pressed against his chest and listened while the other three told them the story of where the warm silver rings clasped in Jeff's hand had come from and what their presence meant.  
>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The only thing keeping Carole Hummel sane was her continual mental repetition of the words Santana Lopez had said to her the other day.

'_Brittany sometimes says things that make sense, even if you don't know why.'_

Carole was clinging to that as she sat in the back of the ambulance and watched the paramedics working on the unconscious body of the man she loved.

Brittany had known it was about to happen.  
>Brittany had called the paramedics five minutes before Carole had arrived.<br>Carole had arrived just as Burt was falling into unconsciousness.

Brittany said he was going to be ok.

Carole watched the emergency workers as they fluttered around the cramped confines of the ambulance and kept her husband alive.

The driver had already called ahead to the hospital.  
>He had also called out to the workers in the back, telling them of their amazing run of luck.<br>Every single intersection, so far, the lights had been in their favour.

Carole knew that every intersection to come, the result would be the same, green lights all the way.

.

Brittany had said so.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elaine Anderson was in the kitchen making cookies.

"Honey, "Her husband called out from the living room, "Come quick. I think this is the hospital the boys are visiting isn't it?"

Elaine hurried into the room wiping flour onto her apron and looked at the news broadcast her husband had been watching.

.

_...and back to the breaking events at the Lima General Hospital this afternoon where a suspect under arrest for serious assault and attempted murder has been undergoing treatment for various drug related illnesses. Events are still sketchy but it appears the un-named suspect had managed to overpower one of the officers assigned to guard him while he was in the hospital for treatment and assaulted and threatened several patients before being overpowered by a hospital janitor and a group of teenagers, and get this, one of the teenagers it turns out, was the victim of the gunman's original assault charge. The patient, who cannot be named due to his age, was the same coma patient who was the inspiration for our story earlier this week about the miraculous healing powers of music which medical people across the nation have been commenting on since hard scientific evidence started coming from this little house of healing right here in our very own state. It certainly seems on this occasion, that music had charms to soothe the savage breast. I'm Chase Windrise, and now back to you Rod._

_Thankyou Chase...well, it certainly seems like there's one criminal who's eating up his ...just desserts! I'm Rod R..._

.

John Anderson turned the television off.  
>"I cannot stand that arrogant self righteous boneheaded..."<p>

"But tell us what you really think dear?"  
>Elaine Anderson smiled at her husband.<p>

"Do you think it was the boys?"

"Of course it was the boys, "Elaine smiled ruefully, "And probably Grandpa Pang too, he tends to get involved just when you least want him to."

"What if someone from the police, or worse, the government starts asking awkward questions? I think we'd better head up there tonight instead of waiting till tomorrow."

"What was that about an earlier story from the hospital?"

John Anderson thought for a moment.  
>"Oh, apparently there was a grad student doing an internship at the hospital at the same time Kurt organised his vigil for Dave. She collected data for the weeks before and the week of the 'twenty-four hour music fest' as the reporters called it and it seems the CDC and other major institutions picked up the story and are interested in it. It would seem that the results were more than impressive."<p>

.

Elaine Anderson nodded slowly.  
>"Pang said this would begin to happen. I want to be there for them John, they are going to need our support."<p>

"We'll need to pack..."

"Give me five minutes."

"What about the cookies?" John asked plaintively.

"Ok, ten minutes then."

John smiled broadly at his wife. It was Blaine's megawatt smile.  
>"I can't wait to see their faces when the boys spot our new accessories!"<p>

"Me neither, "Elaine grinned at her husband and glanced again at the new silvery ring adorning her husband's hand.

It was a perfect match for the ring she was now wearing.  
>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"...I'm telling you, George Clooney!"

"He does not, maybe a little, but his hair is way longer..."

.

Quinn Fabray rolled her eyes as she listened to her old friend, Santana, and her new friend, Steffi, argue about the man currently downstairs drinking tea with her mother.

.

"Well I think, for an old, alcoholic, washed up homeless guy, Pete is kinda hot." Santana finally made her pronouncement.

"Ewwww, "Steffi said wrinkling her nose , making the silver stud in it wriggle, "Gross!"

"I can appreciates me an older man, "Santana said with a smirk, "They usually have a lot of experience, not to mention a long, long long..."

Quinn frowned at her frenemy.

"...line of credit." Santana ended with a wink.

.

"How on earth would you know?" Steffi asked, still disturbed by the Latina's clinical assessment of Pete's charms. After all, he was more of a father to her than that right-wing hypocrite, who had merely contributed to her gene pool, had ever been.

"I get around, "Santana preened as she leaned against the backboard of the spare bed, now Steffi's.

"But I thought you were a..."

"Anyone want some tea?" Quinn asked a little too brightly, trying to cut Steffi off.

Santana stiffened and looked nervous and defensive.

"What are you trying to say little miss..."

"Tea! "Quinn stood, trying to draw all eyes to herself, "And maybe some cake? I think mom has some cupcakes somewhere."

"No, "Steffi said, "I've heard stories about you guys and cupcakes."

.

"I want to know what little Emo-Juno here was trying to insinuate."

Steffi blinked at the defensive hostility radiating from Santana now.

"I just thought..." She began, "I was just going to say, I thought you and Brittany..."

"Don't you dare label me!" Santana was on her feet.

.

Steffi did what no one at McKinley (at least on the student body) had ever done, she met Santana's glare head on and stared her down silently.

"I was not labelling you. I was congratulating you. Brittany seems like an incredibly sweet, incredibly special person, and for her to obviously love you so much means that despite your attempts to come across as a heartless, slutty bitch, you must be a really wonderful person underneath all the razor blades."

Santana blinked first.  
>"Then what...?"<p>

Steffi grinned coldly.  
>"You think I was born looking this badass? To survive on the streets you need to learn to detect bullshit pretty damn fast. I can spot a defence mechanism a mile off. Quinn goes all bitchy and cold, you go all murderous and slutty, that sweet Kurt boy goes all diva. Me, I get another piercing and find something even more black to wear. But I know your secrets. The bitchier the facade, the warmer and deeper the love in your hearts, right Quinn?"<p>

Quinn was startled.  
>Steffi smiled strangely at Santana.<p>

"So Santana, let me guess. You like Brittany. Not just as a friend. You play for the other team, as Blaine would so sweetly put it. Well guess what sweetheart. I don't care. None of my business. Not that I'm not fighting the boys off with a stick myself, I mean, what with the swollen ankles and all, but I've seen how you look at Brittany, and more important, I've seen how she looks at you. I don't care about your issues or about labels or about how scared you are. I almost lost my baby yesterday. I could still lose her. I could die. I am alone and homeless and scared out of my tiny, hormone addled mind. So no, I am not afraid of big bad Santana Lopez. I'm as jealous as hell of her. You have a chance to have someone really, really special and sweet call you their lover. You have friends who have tip toed around you and your huge secret for months while you agonised about coming out of the closet so intently that you never noticed your friends took the closet door off its hinges weeks ago."

Santana sat open mouthed as Steffi released all her angst at once.

"So don't you dare tell me about not wanting to be labelled. You have been given labels already Santana. You've been labelled FRIEND and TEAM-MATE and HEROINE already and if you are lucky enough that Brittany wants to label you GIRLFRIEND too then you better pull your closeted little head out of your overly muscled butt and be brave enough to wear her label proudly or so help me God I will have this baby right now just so I can use the umbilical cord to throttle you with, comprende amiga?"

.

Santana stared at the Goth girl in admiration.

"Wow, you are so hot right now..."

"Not on your team Lopez! "Steffi snapped, but she smiled as she said the words, "But thanks."

Santana nodded, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Quinn sat in shocked silence until Santana glanced over at her and she suddenly found her arms filled with a weeping girl.

"Santana honey, "She whispered at last, "Where did Brittany have to run off to?"

"She said something about having to keep Kurt calm this afternoon."

Quinn frowned slightly.  
>"So she's back at the hospital again? Oh well, at least she's safe there, it has to be one of the most boring places on earth."<br>.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

"... and we still haven't met the lawyers. My dad was arranging for us to meet them in Chicago when I went off for my Six Flags gig but..." Blaine looked slightly sad again.

Jeff was still freaking out about the whole 'magic is real' thing to worry too much about his friends becoming multi billionaires.

Dave however was frowning slightly.

"Are you sure that's the figure your Dad quoted Blaine?" He said, "It's just... the richest dude in the world has less than half as much as a total fortune as your Dad said the cash assets came to. I'm sure someone would have said something in the media or on the web if anyone had a fortune as big as your Great-Gran is meant to have had."

"Invasive as the modern media has become young David, "Pang said with a grin, "They don't know everything. We have had a few thousand years to perfect the art of hiding in plain sight you know. The so-called 'world's richest man' is barely on the top one hundred list as far as reality goes."

.

Dave's eyes widened as he contemplated the extent of his ignorance in these matters.  
>"Damn it, Economic theory was one of the few subjects I thought I had a handle on."<p>

"You want to be an economist?" Jeff asked.

"Oh Hell to the No," Dave said in unconscious imitation of Mercedes, "But Math and similar subjects are my secret guilty pleasure."

"Not me?" Jeff teased seductively.

Dave blushed and shifted uncomfortably.  
>"Ivenointentionof lettinyoubesecret" He mumbled.<p>

Jeff's smile could have lit up a room, a big room.

.

"I still don't understand how my wish means you and Dave are already partnered by the magic, "Kurt said in the silence that followed.

Pang had already explained that in this case, the rings were merely a physical symbol of the magical union already accomplished.

"You and Blaine, your wishes are more powerful than others, by a long, long way."  
>Pang seemed pleased by this.<p>

Kurt had a sudden thought.  
>"We still haven't established what Blaine's tumour is."<p>

"It's not a..."

"Dragon Emperor or not, you do NOT want to finish that sentence. Once was bad enough."  
>Kurt looked fierce.<p>

Blaine was also deep in thought.  
>"Did you lie to us about Kurt's mother too Grandpa Pang?"<p>

"No, "The old man was serious now, "I truly cannot see who or what Kurt's mother was. There is too much...static I suppose would be the only word for it. Someone or something has stamped their presence on his life and it just drowns out whatever trace of his mother might be hiding beneath it."

Kurt smiled sadly.  
>"She was beautiful, and kind and loved to dance and sing."<p>

.

Blaine decided to change the subject.

"What was it you felt we needed to know Grandpa Pang. You started to tell us just as...well, you know what happened next..."

Pang nodded.

.

"I wanted to tell you what Lord Tubbington and I discussed. He feels it is not his place to tell you boys, but since I am an interfering old dragon..."

"You were talking about us?" Kurt seemed a little put off by that.

"Of course we were, "Pang agreed, "You and Blaine are the most important people in the world at the moment. Although I may be accused of bias there I suppose."

"Why?" Both boys asked in unison.

"Let me try to set the scene. Hmmm, this will be tricky, thousands of years of magical history told in twenty-five words or less."

"Fewer, "Blaine corrected his grandfather a split second before Kurt could.

"Grammar pedants!" Whispered Jeff in Dave's ear.

.

Pang continued as if uninterrupted.  
>"It all began with <em>Faerie<em>. It is hard to explain. _Faerie_ is an entire universe of its own. It was once an intrinsic part of this world. Some have theorised that it was...is the spark that created life in this world."

"What is it like Grandpa Pang?" Kurt was curious.

"Hard to explain. Have you heard of a man called Jung?"

"The Collective Unconscious?" The voice was Dave Karofsky's. "Carl Jung?"

The other boys turned to look at him in shock.

"What?" Dave bristled defensively, "I can read you know!"

"I just never picked you as reading philosophy. "Kurt said quietly.

"He wasn't really a philosopher. He was the father of Analytical Psychology. "Dave explained, "It's what I really want to do after I graduate. I want to study to become a counsellor, maybe even a Psychologist or Psychiatrist, although I'm not sure I could pass the medical degree for that one. I just want to help people with their problems I guess. I figure, who else could understand how screwed up a person can get better than me?"

Dave stopped talking and his face flushed with embarrassment.

Kurt and Blaine smiled.  
>"You would be an amazing counsellor Dave." Kurt said softly.<p>

Jeff just beamed and snuggled into Dave as he lay beside him on the hospital bed.  
>"Just when I thought you couldn't get any sexier..."<p>

Dave blushed even deeper, but he refused to pull away.

.

Pang cleared his throat.  
>"As I was saying, Carl Jung has been the closest to explaining what <em>Faerie<em> is, or was. It is where all our dreams, our creativity, our 'magic' comes from. Imagine your favourite movie, and now imagine your most vivid dream. Then picture the song that touches you the most deeply, then the book that offered you the most insight into the nature of the universe. _Faerie_ is all those things multiplied together, not added, multiplied. And many thousands of years ago, it began to drift away from the world."

"Why? How?" the boys asked.

"No one knows, " Pang was sad, "But the magic began to fade. We began to fade."

"All the magical creatures of the world?" Asked Blaine.

Pang simply nodded.

.

"For a time, it was possible to pass from our world to _Faerie_ and back, but eventually it became too far for even the strongest among us to dare attempt. Before that point however, a group of Fae and other magical creatures decide to do something drastic. They would tie themselves to this world. No one knew if _Faerie_ would ever return to us, but we couldn't bear the thought of this world losing its spark."

The boys sat transfixed as they watched the play of emotion across the old man's face.

"We argued about it of course. Worse than lawyers the Fae are. It all came down to three paths. The bulk of the Fae, most of the animal spirits and some of the other creatures of magic decided to cut their ties to _Faerie_ completely and become reborn as purely mortal creatures. They thought they would eventually fade away, but their sacrifice might buy the world enough time to last until _Faerie_ returned its spark to the world's heart once more. Imagine their shock when they discovered that their magic was instead magnified by the humans they were born into. Over the millennia some of them became creatures of great power. Some were even worshipped as Gods for a time. Now they have indeed begun to fade, but they still have hope. The Faerie Queens led that faction. Mabd, the Queen of Winter was the first to give up her life and cast her soul to the winds. The others soon followed, but even though they were reborn again and again, they never found Mabd. When Titania was lost only a few hundred years ago, the Fae lost most of their heart with her. Without the Queen of Summer, they grew sad and allowed themselves to fade even more."

"What about the other paths?" Jeff was starting to get curious now.

.

"The Dragons were too proud to lose themselves like that. They decided to remain on the earth as they had always been. Sheer bloody mindedness would be their bastion against the lack of _Faerie_, and no one is more stubborn than a Dragon."

"What happened to them?" Kurt asked.

"Some faded. Some attempted the journey back to _Faerie_, I think. Others felt themselves fading and made desperate attempts to be reborn as mortals. I don't really know what happened. Some, like the unicorns flourished and remain almost unchanged. Others like..."

Pang paused in sadness.

"Others, like the Phoenix simply vanished, just like Mabd. The Phoenix was my best friend you know. I haven't seen it for...for so long."

"Tell us more about him," Kurt asked gently, "Or was he a her?"

Pang laughed sadly.  
>"It was both, and neither. Only one Phoenix ever lived at a time. When it died it would burst into glorious flame leaving only a single golden egg. As the fire died away the egg would hatch and a new Phoenix would arise to take the place of the old one."<p>

The old dragon looked very sad now.

"I wish I could see my friend one last time."

.

"What about the third path Grandpa Pang?" Blaine asked. The sadness on the old man's face was making his chest ache with sympathy.

Pang brightened a little.

"Ahah! The best path of all! "He cried, "Danu led us down that one. She decided to tie herself to this world by falling in love with it. She met and married a mortal man, and had children by him. Many of her descendants turned out to be the Faerie Court reborn. Who says the universe doesn't have a sense of humour? I myself held to the second path for many, many centuries, until I met your great-great grandmother Blaine. She stole my heart from me the moment I saw her, and I finally knew who I had been waiting for all those millennia. We had several lifetimes together until she finally was taken from me by death. But I see her still in her children and their children, and most of all in you my precious boy, so it's like she is still here in some way."

Kurt was crying now, in fact all the boys were a little teary.

"What's wrong Kurt?" Blaine could sense something was truly troubling the young boy. It was making him feel almost nauseous.

"Nothing."

.

Pang narrowed his eyes. He wasn't born yesterday.

"Young Master, do not fret so. I have assayed your powers you know. I may not be able to tell you everything, but I can tell you this. Your life will be far, far longer than you expect, as will Blaine's."

Kurt smiled but refused to believe the hope he was being offered.

"So, what do we have to do with the return of _Faerie_?" he asked, changing the subject like a pro.

.

"The Fae are rather hoping you will be able to find their lost Queens for them. It is becoming more apparent that _Faerie_ is returning. If it does so without the Queens to mitigate its more... colourful effects, the world could be in for some problems you know."

"But I thought _Faerie_ was a magical wonderland?" Jeff asked confusedly.

"It is, "Pang nodded, "But it is also the place where nightmares and horror movies and madness come from. Without balance, it will be like a cancer in the body of the world instead of..."

.

.

Blaine suddenly went pale and clutched at his chest.  
>Kurt caught him as he lurched from the foot of the bed where he had been sitting and held him tight.<p>

Blaine sat back down still white and shaking as he struggled for air.

.

"What's wrong honey?" Kurt was frantic but he held back his panic by sheer effort of will.

"Do not fret, "Pang began.

"Call the Doctor Dave, push the damned call button!" Kurt was almost as white was Blaine as he began to feel the strange burning in his chest, an echo of what Blaine was feeling.

.

Pang sat unperturbed, holding the call button in his hands and preventing anyone from reaching it.

.

"It is alright Kurt. Blaine. You will be all right. I suspect the shape-change to and from Dragon form has merely accelerated the natural process. You may feel some discomfort for a short moment Blaine, but it should be passing even as we speak."

Blaine rolled his eyes in pain, but he did feel the strangeness beginning to fade. His chest burned. His lungs couldn't seem to get enough air and he felt his heart racing, then slowing, then racing again.

"What is happening to me?" He gasped between spasms.

"...any second now..." Pang seemed to be looking right through his skin and into his body.

Blaine felt his heart stop for a second... then two... then three... then...

.

"OH!' He felt like he had been kicked in the chest by a... by a llama.

"What is happening Grandpa? "He whispered, "Kurt? Kurt I'm scared."

Kurt held his boyfriend so tightly to his chest that he could feel Blaine's faltering pulse.  
>Behind them Dave's wings began to appear and Jeff's eyes began to glow with a light of their own.<p>

Pang held up one hand.

"...any second...and... NOW!"

.

Blaine felt the llama kick him again.

.

His heart beat stabilised but... no, wait, something was...

Pang nodded.

"It will be alright now Blaine. Kurt, you can let go of him now."

.

The colour was indeed returning to Blaine's skin.  
>Kurt refused to let him go.<p>

He could still feel Blaine's heart beating like...oh, my, God.

.

"What the hell was that?" asked Jeff as Dave's wings folded behind him and faded away.

"That was...it was..." Blaine seemed in shock as he realised what had just happened.

.

"It was his second heart starting up, "Kurt whispered in awe. "My boyfriend is a real, live, Time Lord!"


	34. Matters of Life and Death

**A/N: Me again! Thankyou so much for the messages and reviews for this little story. I'm am amazed that so many people are finding it all as fascinating as I am. **  
><strong>I'll let you al in on a little secret (some of my regular coresponders know this already) - I am writing this story because ... I genuinely want to find out what happens next.<strong>  
><strong>I'm serious - I am pretty sure my Plot Bunny (aka my subconscious) knows where it is all going, but i only find out for sure when I am editing what I've written.<strong>

**Still, at least my madness doesn't seem to harm anyone, so I shall enjoy being mad.**

**This chapter was an interesting read. Three very different and distinct voices, but I'm beginning to see a pattern. (or possibly I just need to eat less cheese?)**

**All I know is, just when I think I've worked out who is who and where the secrets are pointing, I discover I'm totally wrong and it was all a red herring all along. (For the longest time I was sure that... oops, spoilers!) (Thankyou Dr River Song, I love you too)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I am not attemting to infringe anyone's intellectual property. I'd love to impinge on the hot property that is Darren Criss, but that's just me being old and pervy. (I'm still faithful to you Mr Adler, don't worry)**_

* * *

><p>.<br>.

.

.

"...they just don't know yet Finn! I'm just glad I was here when they came in. Carole is a total wreck. Kurt is somewhere in the building, I haven't had time to go look for him yet, and anyway, I don't want to leave Carole. Just get here as fast as you can, but no speeding. The last thing any of us needs is for you to wrap yourself around a tree. You know Kurt would kill you if you killed yourself, and much as I would find solace in writing what would undoubtedly be a Grammy award winning ballad about my loss and heartbreak, I'd really rather have to alive to annoy me, ok?"

Rachel Berry smiled sadly as Finn hung up and she turned to where a pale faced Carole sat clutching herself as she sat in the cold plastic chair.  
>"Finn is on the way, "Rachel gently touched Carole's hands as she sat beside her, "It's going to be ok Carole, Burt is a strong man and with the changes Kurt has been making in his diet in the last year, he's a lot healthier than he was. I'm sure he'll be back under your feet in no time at all."<p>

Carole held Rachel's hand just a little tighter than was strictly comfortable, but the lines around her eyes did ease a little.

"Has... has anyone told Kurt yet?" Carole whispered jerkily, "I think... I should be the one to tell him. I should go find him. He... he said he was going to visit David today, so I need to... I can't... I can't let him find out from someone who doesn't know him or... Oh God, what if one of his friends calls hm. He mustn't hear it by phone. I have to..."  
>She bit her lips in an attempt to stop the flow of tears.<p>

Rachel's huge dark eyes were also shining with tears, but she forced a cheerful expression onto her face.

"Carole, you sit tight, I'll go look for him. I won't say anything, I'll go find Kurt and just bring him here ok?"  
>Rachel forced away her worry at leaving Carole alone.<br>If only someone else they knew would walk through the door, she prayed.

.

Rachel stood and touched Carole's arm lightly once as she left. Her attention was still on the lonely figure sitting outside the emergency room, which was why she didn't see the person she ran into. Rachel felt herself falling to the floor, only to be caught by a pair of strong, bony arms.

"Careful Barbra, I don't think the doctors need more patients to look after. The incompetent fools are struggling enough with their workload as it is."

Rachel looked up into the cold blue eyes of Sue Sylvester.

"So, my little Semitic Streisand, what life or death emergency has impinged on your monumental ego sufficient that you can't seem to take even the most basic care as you run around the corridors of this fine palace of tax-payer funded mollycoddling on those tiny little hobbit legs of yours?"

Rachel paled a little. Sue Sylvester was a scary woman.

"I need to find Kurt."

"Porcelain? What's wrong? Is he alright? Has anything happened to him?"

Sue actually sounded... concerned.

"It's..." Rachel felt her tears rising again, "It's... his Dad just got brought in. His heart again. Carole is all alone in there waiting for the doctors and I need to find... We can't let Kurt find out when he's alone. I'm going to go get him and bring him here so Carole..."

The young diva turned to look at Carole who sat hunched over. She was crying again. Rachel was torn.

"Porcelain and his little troll doll boy-toy will be up on the sixth floor. Bubba the Hut is scheduled for Physiotherapy in the room up there. You go get him and you bring him back here now."

Rachel stood unmoving as she watched Carole clutch her hands around herself and weep.

"GO!" Sue hissed at her, "I'll look after Porcelain's step-mom, ok?"

Rachel began to move slowly as Sue Sylvester walked into the waiting room and sat beside Carole. She watched Carole look up in surprise. Rachel felt just as surprised when she saw Coach Sylvester reach into her pocket and offer Carole a large red hanky. Her shock was complete when she saw the coach reach out and pull Carole to her chest, wrapping her long track-suit clad arms around the crying woman and looking into space with a face of such... kindness.

Rachel caught the glare Sue shot towards her and she turned to run to the elevators.

.

.

The ride up to the sixth floor seemed to take forever.  
>Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as the doors finally pinged open and she stepped out into the corridor.<p>

Children's Ward? Private Rooms?

Wait, this was the fifth floor, damn it!  
>She turned to try to catch the departing elevator.<p>

It all happened so fast.  
>She heard the screams of staff and patients, and a sound like fireworks, or perhaps a car backfiring?<br>Several cars.

She saw a man in orange overalls.  
>He was shouting and waving something, but he was at the other end of the corridor and it was too far to see...<p>

She heard the cars again.

Something hot burned her arm, her hip and her leg, lines of fire, but strangely...cold.

Rachel was wondering what it all meant as the world began to go black and she found herself lying on the floor.

She watched through foggy eyes as the man ran into the room he stood beside as people scrambled for places to hide and a nurse tried to help the injured.  
>She heard another bust of...gunfire.<br>I've been shot, she thought, and now he's shooting more... no wait, something is wrong, that burst sounded shorter than the others.

She heard the man scream again from inside the room.  
>She heard something else scream.<br>No, it was a roar, like a hundred lions roaring at once, or... or...  
>Rachel was at a loss, she'd never heard anything like this, ever.<p>

She heard the roar and then another scream from the man with the gun, this one cut off just like the burst of gunfire had been cut off.

She heard wind, like a small tornado somewhere nearby, and it was getting cold, so very cold.

.

Am I dying? She wondered.

She listened to the wind, and the muffled crying from the other people in the corridor.

I don't want to die, she thought, I have so many things still to do.  
>She thought of her Broadway dreams...<br>of her fathers...  
>of her mother...<br>She thought about her first Grammy, her Tony, her...

She thought about her friends.  
>She thought about Kurt, the Glinda to her Elphaba.<br>No, she thought, Elphaba lived!  
>She thought about Finn...<p>

She thought about dying.

She thought she heard... angels? Angels singing?  
>Sparks!<br>Silver sparks were falling all around her, filling the air, touching everyone in the corridor.

The sparks fell from above the ceiling, and through her body and through the floor to the rooms below her.

The sparks touched her leg and her arm and her...She was healed?

She was healed!

Rachel sat up. All around her people looked at each other in amazement and confusion.  
>A man with four huge bullet holes in his shirt stood marvelling at the unbroken skin beneath the bloody cloth.<br>Rachel checked her own body.

Blood, bullet holes, her kitten sweater was ruined, but only her clothes were damaged. She felt fine. She felt better than fine!

A small child walked slowly from the door leading to the children's ward, an IV unit trailing behind her. Her elfin features were exaggerated by her lack of hair and the paleness of her skin.

"Mommy? "She called out to one of the women sitting in the corridor, "Mommy? It stopped! It stopped hurting. My bones stopped hurting and the ouchies have gone!"

.

Rachel stood and began to help those people who were still in shock as the staff and the police began to try to restore order. (And tried to figure out what the hell had happened)

She had to work fast though, she still had to get up to the physical therapy room and fetch Kurt.

He would never believe what had just happened.  
>Rachel smiled to herself.<p>

.

Kurt didn't believe in magic, or miracles.  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

_Burt Hummel knew he was dying._

.

He floated in darkness.

No, there were stars.

He floated in starlight.

He heard singing, he heard... his son... his SON!

Kurt!

He heard Carole's gentle voice, she was sobbing...

He heard Finn, asking questions...

.

_Why?_

_Where?_

_What will we do now?_

.

He heard...

He heard...

Elizabeth?

He could hear Elizabeth.

She was singing too.

She was calling to him.

It's true then, he was dying.

.

Burt felt terrible pain then.  
>His family needed him.<br>His son needed him.

KURT!

.

But Lizzie's voice was so familiar, so gentle...

And Kurt had Carole now, and Finn and...  
>...Kurt had Blaine.<p>

Burt didn't want to die.  
>Even the voice he had loved, and lost and missed for almost his entire life couldn't calm him.<p>

.

.

Kurt did need him still...  
>...but Blaine can look after him now.<p>

Blaine is still just a kid too...  
>...but he understands Kurt in a way no one else can.<p>

Kurt needs his father...  
>...but you've raised him to be strong.<p>

He'll miss me...  
>...but he will heal in time.<p>

_I'll miss him..._

.

Burt felt himself drifting into the stars.

NO.

He reached out, even though he had no limbs with which to reach.  
>He called out, even though he had no voice.<p>

He refused to go.

There was pain.  
>Burt welcomed the pain.<p>

Pain meant he had a body.

Pain meant he was alive.

Pain meant he had a chance.

Burt didn't want to die.

The pain grew, he could feel... cold... cold on his chest... his shirt was...

.

JESUS FREAKING CHRIST!  
>What the hell was...?<p>

"...charging to two hundred...clear!"

The linebacker hit him in the ribs again.

...beep

Oh, Burt Hummel thought, I'm in a TV show.  
>He'd always hated those medical dramas, he preferred sports any day...or Monster Catch...or...<p>

"...pulse is stabilising, I've got...beep... over fifty five, give him another four c... beep... what the hell is that? Sparks? Where is that coming from?"

.

.

_Burt watched the stars he was floating amongst begin to burn and fall._

"Burt?"

He was falling too, but someone held him as he fell.  
>He could hear rushing wind and the sound of feathered wings and...<p>

Elizabeth?

He fell slowly, and as he fell he turned and saw her eyes, her face...

.

She hadn't changed... she hadn't aged... she hadn't died...

Yes she had, she was dead and so was he.

.

Elizabeth Hummel smiled the way she always did when he'd done something particularly stupid or silly.

"I died Burt, "she said smiling, "I only had one chance to live, one chance do it properly and I had to take it. I'm sorry I had to leave you alone so soon, but I had to die when I did, or I couldn't have..."

She smiled, a secret smile this time.

"You have so much more to do my love. You have so much to live for. I'm so glad you found love again. It's all I ever wanted. That those I love could find happiness."

Burt felt pain, and tears, and ...love.

"Carole loves you now. Be her prince like you were mine. Promise me?"

.

Burt nodded, unable to speak.  
>He fell faster now.<p>

"It's time for me to pass now, for the first time, at last, for good, but you have to tell Kurt something. Tell my baby I love him. I'm so happy he's found Blaine. Blaine and Kurt will be forever Burt. You can't understand that I know, but tell him. Tell them both, they'll understand. Tell them to ask the Queen if they don't."

Burt was confused, but nodded again.

"Tell them the Dragon and the Cat are wrong. The Queen will find them. The Queen will find herself. The Queen will come when her time... Tell them to trust to love and it will all turnout..."

Elizabeth was moving away from him, even though he could still feel her embrace. Her voice was harder to hear.

"Tell him...love him...think about...so many children but...tell...my only true...freedom...legacy...Burt...love you."

He felt her lips on his, and the sound of wings grew stronger.

.

_He fell in a column of silver sparks._

Pain.

No pain.

No pain at all.

...beep...

.

_Burt Hummel knew he was alive._  
><em>.<em>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Dave Karofsky had never heard of The Doctor, Gallifrey or Time Lords.

.

Jeff had grinned like a loon as he, Kurt and Blaine had educated him.

Dave still didn't understand a thing.  
>"...so Blaine is going to be able to travel through space and time, in a blue box that's bigger on the inside than the outside, and is really a space ship, I mean a space and time ship, but is really alive and he can't die and is going to live forever, but it won't be him, it will be a completely different body and personality each time. Correct?"<p>

"Yes, "Jeff said.

"No." Blaine was frowning a little.

Kurt said nothing, but his eyes seemed sad for some reason.

Jeff looked at Blaine.  
>"But that's a fantastic description." Jeff protested.<p>

"Yes, of The Doctor, "Blaine said reasonably, "I'm not a fictional character. I'm me, and I'm not sure I really understand everything, but I don't think that's how it's all going to work. I can't see a big blue box popping up in the corner of the room any time soon, can you? I suspect this all stems from my rather generally worded wish to be a superhero. How did you describe it Grandpa?"

"A loosely worded Google search and hitting 'I feel lucky' several million times."

Blaine nodded at the old man in gratitude.

.

"I think, "He added, "That because I had a mental picture of Doctor Who in my mind as I said the wish, I may have developed those 'super' qualities I see in The Doctor, but not everything."

"The same way you have Spiderman's super strength and reflexes, but can't shoot webs from your wrists?" Kurt asked.

"Exactly!"

"So what can you do then?" Dave asked simply.

"I've got the Doctor's mental agility, I'm using it now. It's the only reason I can work this out in the first place."

"Convenient, "muttered Jeff.

Blaine grinned and nodded.  
>"I think I've combined the Time Lord sense of place and time with good old tingly Spidey Senses too. It's like, predicting the future, but not."<p>

"I knew you were going to say that! "  
>Jeff grinned as he and Kurt said the line at the same time.<p>

Dave just rolled his eyes.  
>"Oh kill me now, spare me from the attack of the killer nerds."<p>

Jeff leaned his head back to glare into Dave's eyes.  
>Dave took the opportunity to steal a quick peck, blushing like a fire engine when his brain caught up to what his lips had just done.<p>

Jeff smiled at his embarrassment and sighed contentedly as he lay against the larger boy's muscular torso.

.

"I can feel my hearts beating, "Blaine said quietly, "It's really weird, but it already feels... right."

Pang nodded from his seat beside the bed.

"I think I might have a... a version of Time Lord physiology now. I get the feeling I'm a lot more resistant to things like heat and cold... radiation... I don't know how regeneration might work but..."

"Hopefully you'll have Romana's ability, not be a klutz like the Doctor." Jeff was a serious Doctor Who nerd. "She could choose her appearance before the regeneration stabilised."

"Blaine has the will of a Dragon don't forget, "Pang added, "He will not change unless he wishes to change."

Kurt still didn't seem right.

.

"Hey Blaine, stop talking for a second and see how long you can hold your breath!" Jeff was on a roll here.

Blaine raised his eyebrows and complied.

_Thirty seconds._

The conversation continued around him.

"What about Dave?" Jeff asked. "How the hell...hmm, poor choice of words, how did he become a freaking angel? What sort of powers does he get now? I mean, we all saw him heal you Kurt, so we know he can do that."

_One minute._

"Well, he can obviously heal himself of almost any injury as well." Kurt offered. "He got shot too remember."

"Sorry to disagree, "Grandpa Pang didn't look sorry at all, "but David did not heal himself, nor did he heal you Kurt."

"We saw it. " Jeff was adamant.

_Two minutes_.

"No, "Dave seemed unsure but he continued as if trying to verbalise some deep inner feeling. "I didn't heal Kurt's injuries, I took them."

"Isn't that the same thing? " Jeff asked, "You took his injuries and then you healed yourself, same thing in the end."

"No, you healed him Jeff." Kurt was nodding now, "He took the injuries to himself but it was you who healed him."

"What?" Jeff was shocked, "How... what makes you think that Kurt?"

Kurt smiled slightly.  
>"Everyone was looking at me and Dave, weren't they? Well I was looking around trying to find Blaine, and as my gaze went past you, I remember thinking 'why are Jeff's eyes glowing like that?'. It was pretty freaky to see, but incredibly beautiful too."<p>

_Three minutes_.

"Your eyes were glowing when the rings came to you also." Pang smiled at the memory.

Kurt turned to the disguised Dragon.  
>"Grandpa Pang, why don't Dave and Jeff need to make wishes to get their powers? And what does it mean that they didn't get any coins? I mean, I understand they are new at their relationship, but I can already see that they are meant to be together as much as Blaine and I are."<p>

_Four minutes._  
>Blaine was getting bored now.<p>

"Maybe the magic spilled out in other ways? "He said, taking a breath at last, even though he hadn't felt like he needed one at all.

"Respiratory Bypass, check!"  
>Jeff's inner nerd was high-fiving his inner geek.<p>

.

"There were an awful lot of sparks, "Kurt agreed, "They had to have some effect."

"What do you think Grandpa?" Blaine turned to his grandfather as he asked.

"I think that we need to find the answer to that soon."

Dave was frowning.

"What's going to happen when the doctors find out I've been healed almost to perfect health? Or that I've got gigantic freaking wings? They're going to strap me to a gurney and dissect me aren't they? Or the military or the government will kidnap me and never let me go."

"You could always just fly away." Jeff offered.

"I couldn't leave you to face them."

Jeff smiled broadly as he stood up and wrapped Dave up in a hug.

"I'd never let you leave either... Big Bird."

.

"Oh joy, "Kurt drawled, "They've reached the 'cute pet names' stage already, thank the late Saint Alexander McQueen we're in a hospital room and there are a plethora of places to barf."

Jeff pretended outrage at the barbed comment, when suddenly he stopped and looked at Kurt more closely.

"Kurt..." Jeff began, "What are you hiding?"  
>Jeff's eyes were glowing ever so slightly.<p>

Everyone looked from him to Kurt and back again.

Blaine concentrated on the feeling he was receiving through his ring.

"I'm not... I'm fine." Kurt stammered.

"No, you're not." Blaine could feel it now, "Something is gnawing away at you Kurt, I can feel it too now."

"I'm Deanna Troi! Doctor Who, Spider Man, Monkey and Next Gen? This is so cool!" Jeff's inner nerd was in heaven.

.

Kurt was silent for a long time before speaking. The others sat patiently and waited for him.

"It's just... I know that Godmothers have very long lives, but they are mortal. Blaine isn't any more, is he Grandpa Pang? Forget the whole Time Lord thing, Blaine is a Dragon. You keep muttering on about being forty thousand years old. That's not poetic license is it? Blaine is going to live forever, but I'm not. I just... I don't know how to deal with that, ok?"

Blaine held Kurt tightly to his chest and let him sob. Kurt could feel the strange double beat of Blaine's new hearts soothing him.

.

"The Doctor had to deal with that on the show, "Jeff spoke quietly. "When he got tired of his memories, or it all got too much for him, he'd regenerate. I used to think it was cool, but I guess...it sucks a bit doesn't it?"

"It was learning about that show that made me remember my old friend the Phoenix, "Pang said quietly, "It suffered the same as the Doctor does in your stories. Always going on, never being able to rest, or love. Never having another of its kind. Never having a family. It is one of the reasons we became such good friends. I was one of the few who didn't change or fade or die. "

Pang sighed sadly.

"Then one day, it was gone. I spoke to it before it left. It said it was tired of the never ending cycle. It was fading. Not from lack of _Faerie_, but within its own heart. It told me it was planning to throw its soul to the winds like the others had, and hope for a rebirth as a human. I knew I might never see it again. Mabd was never found. Other Fae weren't reborn for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. And even when they were reborn, they didn't always remember who, what they had been. The one you know as Lord Tubbington, he always remembers, but even he made his wish to stay limited, in cat form. I think the loss of the Queens got to him in the end. Especially Titania, she was always the one he was closest to."

The boys were silent as they saw the sadness in every cell of the old man's body.

"I understand the Phoenix now. I lost my wife, but at least I had children and grandchildren to remind me of her. It had no one. Its child was only ever born from its own death. It remained alone. One day, I know I will see a child or a man or a woman who will remind me of the Phoenix. Perhaps he, or she, will remember me too? "

.

.

Pang shook his mood off like a dog shaking itself after a swim.

"Now Kurt, "He admonished, "Do not dwell on what seems to be a bleak future. If you will not take comfort from words of hope, perhaps a dark reminder will help? I am not immortal. I am ageless, and undying, but I can be killed. I will not die from disease or age or poison, and few are the weapons of man that might endanger me, but I can die. Why dwell on the fact that Blaine might have a lifespan that exceeds yours. He might get run over by a bus tomorrow, leaving you to grieve."

Kurt laughed sardonically at the strange comfort being offered.

.

"A bus couldn't hurt the Doctor, he'd need to get blown up by a volcano." Jeff was enjoying this far too much Kurt thought.

"Or a Nuclear bomb. "Dave offered, seeing Kurt trying to stifle a grin at the dark humour.

"If anything is going to kill Blaine, it will be suffocation by hair gel." Kurt finally giggled, his bleak mood alleviated if not entirely broken.

"Do I make fun of you Mr Hummel? You who spends ten times the amount of money and twenty times the amount of time I do fussing with hair? No, I attempt to rise above it."

"I use high quality products Blaine, and I know what I'm doing. You use just grab the largest bottle you can find in the store and pour it on and hope for the best."

"I thought you loved my matinee idol good looks?"

"I do, but if you'd let me teach you the right way to do it, you'd look like Cary Grant and fewer fish and birds would have their habitat destroyed by the factories devoted to supplying you with product!"

.

Jeff whispered in Dave's ear.  
>"Please kill me if we ever get to the 'adorable petty argument' phase of our relationship and we do it in public."<p>

Dave pretended to ignore Jeff.

"What's wrong Dave?" Jeff asked quietly as Kurt and Blaine moved from bickering to general teasing and tickling.

"I haven't decided whether I want to forgive you for that Big Bird crack earlier."

Jeff put his arms around Dave's shoulders and pouted, his lips less than an inch from Dave's.

"Oh Davey, don't be mean. I love my Big Bird. Don't turn into Oscar the Grouch."

.

Dave's killer smile finally made an appearance and he surprised both of them by stealing another quick kiss.  
>He leaned back from the contact and smirked at Jeff.<br>"You do know I will fight back in kind? And although I may be ignorant of British Sci-fi series, I have an extensive knowledge of Sesame Street going back over many, many years."

Jeff paled and tried not to grin.  
>"You wouldn't dare."<p>

.

Dave grinned an evil grin and his eyes twinkled.  
>"Yes I would... my widdle Snuffleupagus!"<p> 


	35. The Ring of Truth

**A/N: Hello! It's been a while I know, but work and life keep getting in the way. Plus, I had a bout of depression (brought about no doubt by lack of sleep, seratonin is a bitch to keep in your system you know) which makes the Plot Bunnies go hide usually, so I had to wait till they came back.**  
><strong>(By the way - if anyone else had depression problems, might I suggest a googly woogly search for "Stephen Fry Letter Depression" - it will bring you to a wonderful and inspiring Letter Of Note, that I think everyone should read.)<strong>

**This chapter is a little wordy and exposition heavy, but it really was time that some of the threads got sorted and re-ordered, so we all know where is what.**

**There may be some typos, build a bridge, there may be spelling errors - but some things which helpful people have messaged me as being glaring and constant spelling mistakes ARE SPELLED PERFECTLY CORRECTLY THANKYOU VERY MUCH.!**  
><strong>I'm Australian people, we and the BULK of the English speaking world spell colour with a U, we spell centre with an RE not an ER (ERs belong in hospitals not shopping centres). It's called language. People use it differently, so long as you can understand it, it's doing it's job. (mind you, I can be even more pedantic about the correct usage of the apostrophe so I'm a fine one to talk aren't I?)<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, I wish I did but bloody Ryan Murphy sent me to a crack house istead of the Glee Auction, He's a bastard like that sometimes!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

It was all Rachel's fault really.  
>.<p>

Well, technically it was Brittany's fault, but no one had the heart to blame her for what happened.  
>To be perfectly accurate, it was bound to happen eventually.<p>

But why did it have to be Rachel?

Kurt and Blaine were still giggling into each other's faces as they continued their war of gel versus spray (The Hair Wars as Dave had quipped to Jeff, prompting the blond warbler to almost pass out from laughing)

Dave and Jeff were perched on the edge of the bed. Dave was sitting while Jeff stood between his legs and leant into him for a searing kiss. Dave had been self conscious at first, but after Jeff proved that neither Kurt nor Blaine were taking notice of anything around them (by hissing "Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are both talentless, tone-deaf hags" and receiving no reaction whatsoever) Dave had relaxed into his first serious make out session and was beginning to see what all the fuss was about.

Pang sat, unnoticed in his chair and smiled at the feeling of so much love in the air around him.

Danu chose well, he thought, but now... I wonder what happens next.

.

What happened next was Rachel Berry, throwing the door open suddenly and running into the room.

The sound of the door slamming open startled all four boys. Their nerves were, understandably, still a little on edge.

As the loud noise seemed to reverberate off the walls Blaine turned to the doorway and with the full power of _The Speech_ simply said, DON'T MOVE.  
>Kurt found himself grabbing Blaine around the waist and suddenly the two boys flew to the other side of the bed.<br>They... flew?  
>Kurt looked down and noted, almost absently that he and Blaine were currently floating a couple of inches above the polished floor of the hospital room.<p>

Dave grabbed Jeff by the waist also and with the impressive muscular strength he had once used to throw Kurt into lockers with, pulled him to one side so that Dave stood between the blond and whatever threat had just entered the room.  
>Huge white wings flared into existence and spread out to act as a shield against the possible attacker.<br>Jeff felt the soft feathers tickle his open collar as he stood close to Dave's back and reached out to touch Dave's shoulder.  
>Jeff's eyes glowed softly with a silver light as he automatically looked for hostile emotions and sent waves of calming reassurance outwards.<p>

Pang knocked over his bucket and then tripped over his mop as he leapt to his feet.

.

Rachel stood, unmoving (well, Blaine had told her to) and her mouth fell open. She looked at the scene before her and her brain tried to process what it all meant.

Brittany walked through the open door and closed it behind her.

"Hello Kurt, Blaine. Hi Dave, oh, hello Dave's Guardian, I'm sorry I don't remember you telling me your name yet. Hello Blaine's Grandpa, I don't know your name either, sorry. Did you know you've spilled some water on the floor? Wow, nice pearl by the way, you too Blaine, and that green and brown thing really sets the silver off. See Kurt, I've been learning fashion, just like you'll ask me to when... when... oh darn, forgot that one too. Anyway, I just thought you should know that Rachel is on her way...oh shoot, I got the timing wrong again. Hi Rachel! You better move you know, that puddle is going to ruin your shoe if it reaches them. I ruined some shoes jumping in puddles the other day. Lord Tubbington was so mad at me, but that's because I splashed him, not because of the shoes. Oh yeah, Kurt, Rachel wants to tell you some really bad news, but she won't because she doesn't want to upset you, so she's going to ask you to come downstairs really urgently so Carole can tell you about your Dad's heart attack. Don't freak out though, because your Dad is fine. Well, he's fine now. Lucky for him he was downstairs in the emergency room talking to your mom when Dave and his Angel accidentally healed everyone. Actually, Dave, you might want to lose the wings in a minute, because your doctor is on her way in to check on you. Where was I? Oh yes, Kurt and Blaine, Lord Tubbington is downstairs and he says he wants to talk to you. He was a bit freaked out at all the press and the FBI guys so he's gone to hide in my car. It's ok, I left a bowl of water in there for him and the window is open a crack. If you go out to talk to him now you could watch Finn trying to park, It's going to be really funny. But no clowns, I don't like clowns, so it's funny but without clowns. Here, let me help you up sir."

She bent down and offered her hand to Grandpa Pang, who was still lying in the pool of spilled mop water.

Rachel seemed to snap out of her daze and moved her feet hurriedly to avoid the spill. Blaine frowned slightly at the spreading puddle and it retreated back into the bucket which then righted itself.

.

As Dave's wings faded out of sight the tall figure of the Chief of Surgery entered the room. She broke into a wide grin as she saw Dave standing and looking fit.

"Oh thank the Lord, "She beamed, "You got caught in our little miracle too. It wouldn't be right if you hadn't I suppose."

Her eyes were drawn to the blood stained front of Kurt's ruined shirt, and the bullet holes there.

"Seems like everyone got lucky today."

Rachel opened her mouth to speak but... for the first time in her life she couldn't seem to make words.

Brittany finished helping Pang to his feet and grabbed the chair he had been sitting on.

With surprising strength she carried it behind where Rachel stood open mouthed and positioned it carefully.

Rachel fainted, her fall broken immediately by the chair.

.

Brittany looked at Kurt.  
>"Hey Kurtie, "she smiled, "Would you like to come over for a sleepover tomorrow. Rachel is going to need her nails done after she starts biting them tonight."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

When Carole had heard the shouts and screams that had come from the emergency room cubicle she had already begun to run towards it before she even realised she had stood up. The firm grip of Coach Sylvester around her waist was the only thing that kept her upright as her panic developed into fully fledged despair.

She barely noticed the silver sparks that seemed to be falling around her.  
>She definitely didn't notice the sudden cessation of the low level aches and pains she had still suffered from ever since her ordeal in the park.<p>

Sue Sylvester, however, did notice the indoor pyrotechnic display.  
>"What the...?"<br>She frowned deeply and shook her head, muttering to herself.  
>"Ok Carole, "She said gruffly, "This is where I leave you all alone like I was left by my insane, selfish bitch of a mother and go do some grown up stuff. I'm pretty sure your cry-baby act may have seriously damaged the tendons of my left shoulder, but I am going to once more prove the bigger woman and overlook your desperate need for physical reassurance."<p>

Carole didn't seem to be hearing her.

"You go annoy the so-called doctors in there now, I have a feeling that whatever the hell has just happened, it's not bad news. I'm going to go try to premptively put out whatever brush-fire some idiot has just lit. You stay strong, you hear? I expect you to be back to showering wasteful amounts of affection over my sweet Porcelain by tonight, understand?"

Carole smiled faintly at the tall woman, obviously not really listening.  
>Oh well, Sue was used to lesser beings ignoring her words.<p>

Sue strode out of the waiting room. The sparks still falling seemed to swirl around her as if trying to avoid her glare.

.

When Carole entered the cubicle she saw the medical staff standing in shock as the heart monitors hooked up to Burt's still body continued to scream out their terrible flat-line. Carole felt her own heart shudder to a halt.

A doctor stood holding the charging paddles, but making no move to apply them.  
>Burt's shirt had been cut open and his chest hooked up with monitoring sensors and covered in conductive gel.<p>

Carole's own nursing training kicked in and she grabbed them from the doctor's stunned hands, only to realise that they were uncharged and useless.  
>She dropped them on the floor.<p>

Carole reached out to touch Burt's face as tears filled her eyes.

...beep...

The monitors registered a heartbeat, only weak, but growing rapidly stronger.

Carole blinked the tears from her eyes as she automatically made note of the various readings and monitors.

She may not work in a hospital any more, but her accreditation was always up to date.

Blood pressure...low, but rising.  
>Heart rate...increasing<br>Blood Oxygen levels...almost back to normal

Burt moved on the bed as he began to awaken from whatever state he had been in.  
>Carole clutched his hand like she was drowning.<p>

"...tell Kurt...love...must tell..."

Carole strained to hear Burt's words.

"...Elizabeth!"

Carole felt another blow to her chest, but she shook her head and continued to squeeze Burt's hand.  
>Of course he might say the name of his first wife...<br>If he was thinking of Kurt it was only natural that...  
>Elizabeth had been his first love after all, it didn't mean...<p>

Carole took a second to collect all her jealousies over Elizabeth and her feelings of inadequacy about her relationship with Burt and then she imagined them being locked in a huge iron chest.

Burt needed her.  
>She was his wife.<br>She had made her peace with Elizabeth's memory long ago.

Burt needed her.

Burt didn't love her less, he just loved her differently.

She smiled sadly to herself, only to be drawn to look at the man she loved as his grip tightened on her hand.

.

"...Carole? ...Carole!"  
>Her name had never sounded so sweet.<br>"I saw... I saw Elizabeth, "Burt was rapidly waking up, "She stopped me from falli... no, she made me fall! She stopped me from joining her."

Carole was confused but she simply smiled and brushed a tear from Burt's eyes.

"She told me she was happy I found you. She told me she's glad I found you."  
>Burt was blinking rapidly now.<br>"Carole... I am so glad I found you."

Carole couldn't stop her tears now either.

"I have to..." Burt was confused, "I have to tell Kurt something... yes! I remember! I need to find him. Carole, she was there. It seemed so real... Carole. I... I love you. I had to come back. The people I love are here too. She doesn't need me anymore, but I need you. I need you, and Kurt and Finn and..."

Burt blinked as he finally felt himself fully awaken.  
>He sat up.<p>

The doctors and nurses stood around the pair, staring.

"So..." Burt drawled, "Does anyone have a spare shirt they could lend me?".

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

It had taken almost half an hour to get Burt released from the ER.

Carole was still amazed it hadn't taken hours.

If Burt had been the only miraculous cure that day he would probably still have been there, being tested and probed and...

Carole smiled as she remembered the look on the doctors' faces when they realised that Burt was not the only miracle cure that day.

Stories had rapidly circulated around the hospital about cancer patients suddenly going into remission, their tumours dwindling literally as onlookers watched.

A patient suffering from massive brain injuries had alarmed the surgeons working on her as she suddenly began to move on the operating table.  
>The surgery team had stared as blood clots loosened and bleeding stopped as they tried to operate on the delicate brain tissue.<br>Within minutes they had to frantically remove their swabs and instruments as the open wound had begun to close up.  
>Subsequent scans revealed that even the shattered skull bones beneath the faint scars left on her temple was fully healed, stronger than before.<br>One doctor had suggested reopening the skull to examine what had occurred.  
>The nurse who slapped him across the face had not been disciplined, she had in fact been asked out to dinner by the hospital administrator.<p>

One patient had regrown a kidney, ending years of dialysis and waiting on the transplant list.

Not everyone was healed.

Only the most serious, the life threatening illnesses and injuries seemed to have been affected.

The religious members of the medical staff had prayed to Jesus, Allah, Yahweh, the Buddha...

The non-religious had considered praying too.

.

The press had arrived, a media scrum of biblical proportions to say the least.

The CDC, FBI, CIA, FEMA, NSA... if they had an acronym they were there... had arrived.  
>Men and women in suits all trying to pull rank and trying to set up control centres and incident rooms in various parts of the hospital.<p>

It had taken Pang, Jeff and Blaine all their power to talk their way through the corridors (Blaine carrying the still unconscious Rachel) and then managing to talk the entire group out of the hospital and back to the Hudmel home.

Dave had had to carry Jeff after the boy almost fainted from the effort of calming that many people at once.  
>Looking down at the exhausted figure in his arms Dave had felt such a rush of affection...<br>Jeff had rallied as Dave stared down at him and seemed to draw strength from somewhere.

Brittany had offered to drive Jeff and Dave to the Hudmel home.

Carole and Burt had watched as Finn had done what Burt considered possibly the worst ever job of parking a car he had ever seen and had insisted on Burt driving his car home.

Pang, Blaine and Kurt had come home in Kurt's car.  
>They brought Rachel.<p>

..

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Rachel woke up as Blaine was carrying her through the front door and into the living room.

"What...where...?"

"Oh well, the peace was nice while it lasted, "Kurt muttered.

Rachel's eyes widened as she remembered what she had seen.  
>She looked to see who was carrying her.<br>"Bl...Blaine?" She was confused, "Even Finn can't carry me this far without... how are you so strong?"

Kurt tried to suppress his snort, but failed dismally.  
>"Rachel honey, you've seen an awful lot of weird today, and that is the first question you need to ask?"<p>

Blaine gently placed Rachel on the couch, making not even the slightest indication of effort. Finn moved rapidly to sit beside her and squeeze her hands.  
>"Blaine's kind of like a superhero now Rachel, so is Kurt. You won't believe what they can do, it's so cool."<p>

The tall teen smiled at Rachel's nervous eyes and turned to regard the rest of the room.  
>"I don't know what Dave and..."<p>

"Jeff Sterling." Jeff offered his name smiling.

"...what Dave and Jeff are doing here. Last time I saw Dave he was kind of...um ...well, dude you were kind of busted for good I thought. Not that I'm not glad you can walk again and stuff. I thought you might wind up having to pee in a bag like that guy on One Life to..."

"And this is why we don't let Finn run meetings, ever." Kurt smiled brightly.

Finn frowned slightly.  
>"Hi Brittany! Why are you here? Hey, isn't that your cat? Hi Lord T!"<p>

The large cat glared at Finn.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you asked me to never call you that. My bad dude."

Lord Tubbington shook his head.  
>"It's perfectly alright Mr Hudson. I've been called worse things."<p>

Rachel looked from face to face, no one seemed terribly shocked to see a talking cat.

.

"Is this where you wipe my memory and turn me into a zombie?" She asked nervously, "I mean... I don't mind I suppose, so long as you don't harm my chances of future stardom."

She blinked rapidly.  
>"And please... I really would like to stay in a relationship with Finn. I don't need to know what planet you are all from or..."<p>

Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed.  
>"Oh, the fabulous Berry insanity, it never fails to entertain."<p>

"Rachel, you're perfectly safe, "Blaine knelt beside her and looked into her eyes, "I won't let anyone tamper with your memory. I wouldn't even have let my Grandfather keep you unconscious so long, but he pointed out how possible it was you might hurt yourself if you tried to run away while we were at the hospital. Now we're safe I think it's time we explained a few things to you."

.

Rachel smiled tremulously at him. His warm amber eyes always made her feel so safe.

"Wait, "Brittany held up her hand, "Not everyone is here yet."

The others looked around the room.

"Britt, honey. "Kurt smiled at her, "Yes we are, we're all here sweetie, all the ones who know."

Brittany shook her head and smiled sweetly.  
>"No, Kurt, the two who know and the one who guessed aren't here yet."<p>

Everyone stared blankly at the blonde.

"Oh, and Dave's Dog is about to wake up. You better open the back door too Dave."

The doorbell rang.

Carole went to answer it.  
>She came back a few moments later bringing John and Elaine Anderson with her.<p>

.

"Yay!" Brittany high fived Jeff who was the nearest to her. "Only one more to go! I hope they get here soon. I get a dreadful headache if the world in my head is out of synch with the world outside my head for too long. I wonder who it's going to be. I don't remember that part yet."

"This is why seers are mad, "Pang muttered under his breath,"And they drive everyone else madder!"

Elaine and John looked around the room pausing only to wonder why Rachel was there.

A few moments later the doorbell rang again. This time it somehow sounded more ...insistent.

"You better get it Kurt, "Brittany said as Carole moved to answer it again.

Kurt just wandered out. He was starting to get the hang of Brittany, he thought to himself.

Dave found a wet nose being pressed into his hand.

/**DAVE!**/_joy, comfort, life reborn_/**DAVE BACK**/_euphoria_/**LOVE LOVE LOVE**/

Rachel blinked as she 'heard' Dog.

.

Kurt could be heard arguing with someone at the door.

"Do not give me that flimflam Boo! I know you and Blaine have something to do with what I just saw on the TV, so either you let me in now or I swear you better move to Iceland or somewhere equally far away if you ever want to be able to consider your precious wardrobe safe from paint bombs and ironing accidents."

Kurt returned followed by a Mercedes in full diva rant mode.

She blinked as she took in the assembled crowd.

"Ok, "She asked finally, one hand on her hip, "Who wants to start with the talky-talky?"

.

.

After a few seconds, Blaine began to tell the story of his birthday gift.

Mercedes and Rachel had both screamed a little.  
>Not at the tales of magical rainbows or wildflowers, but at the sight of the rings themselves and what they obviously represented for Kurt and Blaine.<p>

_"My dads are available if you two ever need someone to talk to about the trials and difficulties of negotiating a same-sex life-partnership you know."_

_"I hope neither of you think that you are getting away without a ceremony. I wants me a big ceremony, and a party and flowers and a drop-dead gorgeous 'oh my eyes my precious eyes' dress, which you will either find for me or make yourself Mr Hummel."_

.

Burt, Carole and the Andersons had smiled to see the immediate acceptance the two girls had for their friends' relationship.

Blaine and Kurt had explained about their discovery of their new powers.

Elaine and John Anderson had explained the history of the Society of Danu and the nature of Godmothers.  
>Blaine and Kurt had gasped and hugged each other as they noticed the rings now adorning Blaine's parents' fingers.<p>

Dave had explained what he had seen the night of the attack in the park, with Dog offering his own comments and taking over the story after Dave reached the point where he had... died.

Jeff had cried and clutched Dave to him as he wept.  
>Finn had almost choked when he realised Dave and the blond Warbler were...<br>Rachel had slapped him back to normal.

Burt had never heard the full story of what had happened that night. He reached his arms out too and engulfed Dave in a huge hug as he sobbed his thanks against the boy's neck.

Dog meanwhile was comforting Jeff and welcoming him to 'Dave's Pack'.

.

It had taken a lot of Dave's courage to tell the assembled masses about his sexuality and about his new relationship with Jeff.  
>Finn had managed not to choke again.<br>In fact, he had offered his 'I wish I could understand what the hell is going on' smile.  
>Rachel had just offered her heartfelt congratulations to the pair.<br>Mercedes had been yet another person moved to hug both boys, smiling as she did so and telling Dave how happy she was that he was finally free to spread his wings and fly free.

Mercedes had been a little hurt when Kurt, Blaine, Jeff, Dave and Grandpa Pang had laughed at her words.  
>.<p>

When Dave showed her why they had been laughing at her inspired choice of phrasing she laughed too, while Dog stared in silent admiration.  
>Rachel asked shyly if she could touch the huge soft wings and Lord Tubbington looked like he was about to faint again.<p>

.

Lord Tubbington had, under the patient coaxing of Grandpa Pang, explained a little about what they thought the boys were destined to do now.  
>They talked about the return of <em>Faerie<em>, the lost Queens...

Burt had really wanted to take time to talk to Kurt and Blaine alone, but this was the perfect time to say something so...

.

.

"Kurt, "Burt drew his son closer to him as he sat in his usual chair and pulled Kurt down onto his knee. "I had a heart attack again today..."

"But you're better now Dad, Dave and Jeff..."

"I know son, but ...son, while I was dying, and I was dying, I saw...I ...I met your mother."

Kurt stopped breathing for a second and his eyes grew wide and shimmered with tears.  
>Blaine moved with all his super speed to Kurt's side and simply stood behind him, holding him tightly to his chest as Kurt continued to sit on Burt's knees and lean against his father's chest too.<br>Kurt was surrounded by love.

"First, son, she wanted to tell you that she loves you. That she loves both of you and she knows all about Blaine. She's happy for you son, she says you and this young man will be forever. That was the exact word she used. She seemed determined that you understand that. She also told me to tell you the Cat and the Dragon were wrong. I'm guessing you would be the cat then? "

Burt nodded at Lord Tubbington who bowed solemnly in return.

"So the Dragon would be...?"

Pang raised his hand and bowed also.  
>"That would be me."<p>

.

"Can we see?"  
>Perhaps, Rachel was enjoying having her mind expanded a little too much.<p>

"No room." Kurt and Pang said simultaneously.

Rachel tried to hide her disappointment.

"Let's go out to the backyard, "Kurt offered, "It's totally private, nice and big and I would love to get a proper look at a real dragon you know."

Pang smiled slyly at the young man, and winked knowingly while Blaine's brow furrowed for a second as he thought about what Kurt was saying.

"We also have a pool, "Kurt smiled, "A big pool!"

"An excellent suggestion." Pang nodded and led the group outside.

.

Those who hadn't seen Pang in his true form before were spellbound

"Don't go higher than the tree line and you won't be seen." Kurt called to the huge Dragon.

"Come join me, Grandson!" Pang called to Blaine as his blue, green and silver scales shone in the afternoon light.

Everyone gasped as a smaller, but no less impressive Dragon, shimmering silver scales edged with green and brown, took to the air next to the larger creature.

"Boo, "Mercedes whispered to Kurt, "Your boyfriend is a freaking Dragon!"

"No, "Kurt replied, "He's a sexy Dragon Prince!"

.

Burt snorted and rolled his eyes as he overheard their exchange.  
>His little boy was growing up.<p>

.

As the two Dragons swam through the sky, they were joined by Dave, who spread his wings to finally take to the air.

Jeff smiled as he watched his new boyfriend grin and twist in the light summer breeze.

"You're not jealous?" Rachel asked.

"Of course not, I've never liked heights that much, "Jeff whispered to her.

"What about you Kurt? "Mercedes asked him.

"Well... "Kurt drawled, "I could join them as any number of flying creatures."  
>He rapidly shifted through several bird and bat forms, lingering a few extra seconds in his favourite giant owl shape.<br>Mercedes and Rachel gasped, while Jeff breathed an almost silent 'whoa cool'.

"But flapping wings can get a bit tiring you know, and just today I discovered a new power..."  
>He smiled at Lord Tubbington.<br>"Try not to faint Lord T!"

With that Kurt rose gracefully into the air and was soon sitting, cross-legged in mid air while Blaine continued to loop around him.

Pang and Dave landed and Pang returned to human shape.

.

"Don't you have to keep moving?" Finn was watching the sky where Blaine had coiled up around Kurt's still seated form and both boys (well, one boy, one Dragon) seemed to be having a quiet conversation as they sat stationary in mid-air.

"No, "Pang smiled simply, "no wings, see! Asian Dragon's fly because of the Celestial Pearl in our foreheads. Much easier than flap flap flap all the time."

"Well, I think wings are sexy, "Jeff murmured to Dave who blushed as he held him tightly.

"Ok boys, time to come down now!" Burt felt faintly ridiculous saying that aloud, in his yard, while his son and his... well, soon to be son-in-law he guessed, sat suspended in space.  
>If the boys were so blasé about thumbing their noses at the laws of physics, what hope did he have to get them to follow his rules?<p>

"They will obey because they love you. "Pang whispered to him as the boys came back to earth and changed (well, in Blaine's case) back to human form. "Oh, and forget I just read your mind. It was just a lucky guess, I guess!"

.

Pang nodded to the Andersons, who approached Burt and Carole with serious looks on their faces.

"Burt and Carole, the two of us, and Pang, discussed this for some time, and we all agree that if anyone deserves them, it's you." John Anderson seemed almost choked with emotion. "Burt, you showed me how to be a real parent, and the two of you continue to show us all how much love there can be in the world. Here, these are for you."

Elaine Anderson held out a small wooden box. It was open.  
>.<p>

.

Nestled in the silk lining were two shining, silver rings.


	36. Unable to Remember, Impossible to Forget

**A/N: Hello all, sorry it's been longer than usual. Life as always, plus the editing for this has gotten really tricky. Hopefully this will tide those still loyal over until I can get the rest back on track.**

**Reviews are , as always, the inspiration I need to keep plugging away.**

**This chapter may seem pointless and not a lot happens (it's a lot in flashback, and flashback within flashback to boot!) but bear with it. Some important stuff is glossed over (and also touched upon too)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, if I did I would have forced Darren Criss to do more hip swivelling than he did in the first ep of Season 3 (and he did a lot!), but that's just because those hips should be declared a World Heritage Asset (and speaking of assets...)**_

* * *

><p>.<br>.

.

.

If it wasn't as funny as it was, it really would have been quite terrifying, Lord Tubbington thought to himself.

After the 'Miracles of Lima' incident, the entire city had been overrun by media, sightseers, amateur investigators and most annoyingly of all, by agents from almost every agency the government had.

At first they had concentrated on the hospital, but soon the men and women in the poorly made suits (Kurt had been most vocal about that) were spilling out into the city proper.  
>All the various intelligence agencies jockeyed for position and access to whoever might shed some light on the strange goings on in Lima.<br>The official law enforcement authorities weren't alone.

The Centres for Disease Control sent a team to investigate the claims of miraculous cures and impossible healing.  
>Almost every hotel and motel in town was filled by police detectives, special agents, television reporters, newspaper journalists and the like.<p>

It wasn't just US agencies or local press either.

There were agents from all over the world. Spies from Russia, China, England... even a team of steel-eyes Jesuits sent by the Vatican.  
>Walking down the street outside the hospital, or the mall or the local parks became a nightmare of foreign accents and tripping over camera crews.<p>

Luckily, it seemed that someone or something was on Kurt and Blaine's side.

The investigators (both journalistic and governmental) were, it seemed, incapable of teamwork.

At times it almost seemed as if someone high up in the government was deliberately pitting the various agencies against each other.

Witnesses would be interviewed over and over again, until they reached the point where they refused point blank to speak to anyone else about anything.  
>Agencies who requested transcripts or reports from other agents would find the files delayed for unspecified reasons, or lost, or...<p>

Electronic bugging, computer tracking, wire taps, listening devices and security footage were unreliable at best.  
>Half the time the material just wasn't there.<br>More than one agent or reporter was heard to question aloud what sort of town was it where more than eighty percent of the red-light cameras, security surveillance or even the cameras in the auto-teller machines simply didn't record anything anymore.

If an agent or reporter was able to actually find a recording, trying to send it to his or her head office, or to another reporter usually resulted in the 'accidental' erasure of the original instead.  
>(Kurt insisted that he hadn't asked any of the machines to help keep the secret, but... he hadn't asked them to cooperate with the investigations either)<p>

Agents or reporters who managed to rise above the obstacles and make some progress in the investigation found themselves 'rewarded' with promotions or new assignments.

These rewards were almost always too good an opportunity to refuse, so as time went on, the quality of the agents left... fell slightly.

Someone was very, very good at damage control.

It had been almost a week since the shooting incident.

.

.

Burt had been required to go in for an examination by the CDC doctors. He had endured several hours of gentle interrogation by a variety of government investigators, but all attempts made by the assorted media agencies to 'share his important story with the public' had been politely but firmly rebuffed.

Dave had gone home to his father, taking Dog with him.  
>Finn had eventually stopped crying, but Rachel had insisted on staying close to him.<br>She had turned up every morning on their doorstep at eight and filled Finn's days with activities and things to keep his mind off his missing friend.  
>Finally she had taken him to visit Dave and Dog and both she and the large footballer had sat and laughed as they watched Finn and Dog demonstrate the perfect way to scratch one's own back.<p>

Dave had talked softly to Rachel for quite a while during their visit, and a few days later he had asked her if he would be able to have some time to talk to her fathers.  
>Rachel's dads had called him an hour after Rachel had left Dave's house and invited him over for dinner.<br>Finn had sat on the Berry's back porch looking at the stars and holding Rachel closely to his chest as they had tried hard not to listen to the three soft voices murmuring around the table in the family kitchen.

Jeff had been forced to go on a previously planned family trip to visit his grandmother, but he and Dave were calling each other at least twice a day.  
>They had been a little disappointed to discover that their psychic link faded beyond their ability to read after a separation of a few miles, although the Andersons and Lord Tubbington were still impressed by the distance covered.<p>

.

.

.

Lord Tubbington sat in Brittany's living room and watched the news reports, while he thought back over that momentous meeting in the Hummel's backyard.

.

.

John and Elaine had spent the rest of that first afternoon at the Hummel's explaining to Kurt and the others about the traditions and procedures of the Society of Godmothers. After questioning from Kurt and Blaine they had admitted that the pair had opted for the 'traditional' suite of Godmother powers, wishing themselves simple gifts of insight, good fortune and wisdom.

Burt and Carole had stared at the rings offered to them for over three hours.

Finally, after words with Blaine and Kurt, they had agreed to put them on.

Lord Tubbington, the Andersons and even Finn had offered suggestions for wishes, although Lord Tubbington had stressed that it remained unknown how powerful their wishes might prove to be.  
>("No Finn, "Burt had growled, "Your mother and I do not need big metal wings and laser beams for eyes.")<p>

Brittany had simply giggled when someone thought to ask her advice and told them that Burt and Carole would never know what they wanted, but they could get what they need.  
>(She started singing the song at that point too)<p>

Carole and Burt had put the rings on each other (much the same way Kurt and Blaine had done) and stared into each other's eyes and kissed as the whirlwind of sparks had erupted.

It was Pang who had thought to prepare.

It was Blaine, however, who acted.

Blaine's supernatural senses alerted him to the danger seconds before the others noticed it, and he moved fast. Snatching the precaution which Grandpa Pang had wisely thought might be needed (he had been observing the family for a few days he revealed later), Blaine opened the umbrella and held it over the heads of the kissing couple.

When they counted them later, there were forty seven coins in total, all pure gold.

Burt and Carole kept whatever wishes they had made to themselves.

Lord Tubbington had stared at the coins and started to shake. When asked why he told everyone about the prophecy.

.

What had happened next was...

.

.

"_Prophecy? "Kurt exclaimed, "All this time you've had a prophecy? And you didn't think to mention it before now because...?"_

_Lord Tubbington withstood the Diva Glare Kurt threw his way better than most people would have, although he did still quail slightly._

"_We have fragments, pieces of prophecy, "He explained, "Some have been lost over the centuries, some seem to have come to pass, others we preserve and ponder over, and some..."_

"_What happens? "Blaine asked softly, sensing the cat's deep sorrow._

"_Some are never heard and recorded in the first place. "Lord Tubbington said simply. "Sometimes the... the Seer speaks but the witnesses do not hear, or aren't there or...they don't listen."_

"_You seem to speak from experience." Kurt was gentler now also._

"_I thought I could find my Queen without help from any mortal, however gifted. I thought I was wiser than I am. I refused to listen to the Seer. My friend, one of the fairies mentioned in that play if you would like to know, she found her, and took the record. But it was wartime, one of the useless, petty wars you humans seem to love so much. They found them, the Seer and Moth, they thought they had secrets, and they tortured them. Neither of them would break the trust I had placed in them, so they died. Moth died broken and alone. She hasn't been reborn again. I fear she may be lost forever. So many of us have gone, just faded away over time. We are older than the earth you know, it gets a bit wearying sometimes... remembering._

.

"_What happened to the Seer?" Blaine knelt beside the stricken Cat as Kurt tried to rub his ears to comfort him._

"_She died too. "Lord Tubbington sighed, "She was human, the Seer always is. They burned her, as a witch. That's the real tragedy you see, because of who the Seer was this time. It wasn't just a human with the gift of sight this time. It turns out, we'd actually found the incarnation of...HER, but I was so full of my own importance that I hadn't even bothered to check it out."_

"_Ok, I'm hearing capitalisation here again, "Kurt said, "Who are we talking about?"_

_Lord Tubbington looked at Pang._

.

"_There are many humans who share the gifts of the seers, "Pang explained. "Some are more powerful than others. Some even realise their cycle of rebirth as they live and die and are born again, but they never remember all the details, just visions of the past, the way they see visions of the present and the future. But one human remembers everything, one human through all of history is The Seer, the one who sees. She, for she is always female, remembers her past. She sees all the possible futures clearly too. In Ancient Times she was honoured as the Prophet of Apollo."_

"_The Oracle of Delphi?" Jeff exclaimed._

"_Yes, "Pang continued, "Also known as The Pythia. Many Seers used to congregate at her temple, for protection and help. It's not a common gift, but those who bear the burden are often... different."_

"_Like Brittany?" Kurt asked, "She's a seer isn't she?"_

_Pang nodded._

"_No, "Lord Tubbington exclaimed, "She's not a seer, she's..."_

_._

_Everyone turned to look at the slender, athletic girl who was dancing with her own lengthening shadow now._

"_They broke her, "Lord Tubbington sighed deeply, "They hurt her and she cannot forget. So I made a wish, my last wish. I swore I would find her and guard her. I swore I would remain in whatever form I was reborn into and not leave her until my Queen came and healed her. I used the last of my power to cloud her vision as best I could. I could not take the memory from her, so I hid it in a whirlwind of memories and visions. Through the years since then I followed her as she grew old and died again. Sometimes, even in her confusion she speaks true. Sometimes she has even uttered true Prophecy. I recorded them and sent them to the Archives. One day she will be healed, but till then I hold to my wish."_

_Brittany smiled at them as she noticed their stares._

"_Do I have something on my face?" She asked smiling. "Oh no, don't tell me I forgot to put clothes on again."  
>She checked herself quickly, sighing with relief when she felt her shirt beneath her fingers.<em>

"_It's OK Britt, "Kurt smiled at her, "We were just talking about... stuff."_

"_Like finding a Queen?" Brittany asked as she looked at two identical cans of soda on the table and tried to figure out which one was bigger._

"_You know how to find them?" Blaine asked softly._

"_Well, we know lots of Queens Blaine Warbler! "Brittany smiled at him more broadly and giggled at his obvious foolishness. "I mean, we know songs by Queen, we sang 'Somebody to Love' that one time, remember Kurt? And Mercedes, you have a poster of Queen Latifah on the front of your project book, I loaned you the glue for it. Rachel wants to be the Queen of Broadway one day, she told me so when I interviewed her on Fondue for Two. And Rachel ad Finn met the old Queen while we were at Nationals, you must remember telling us about that Rachel, you squealed really, really loud. Then there's Quinn, she's always been the Queen B remember, and for a Queen closer to home, there's a Queen sitting right there Blaine Warbler."_

_Blaine looked over to where Brittany was pointing, at him and Kurt._

"_Britt honey, "Carole interrupted gently as Kurt began to pale and bite his lip. "That's not a terribly nice word to use to describe the boys, I think..."_

"_I mean, he's totally got the crown and everything. I was there, you danced with him Blaine... I think. Or am I forgetting to remember it right again?" Brittany seemed unsure._

"_She means Prom!" Finn exclaimed loudly, a grin breaking his serious look._

"_Yeah! "Brittany nodded eagerly. "We all rode there in the coach with... oh shoot, what is his name? Starts with an...N or an M I think...and ... and Blaine danced with Kurt all night and broke his shoelaces and then at the end of the night Kurt was the Queen, and after the crownifying all the other students clapped them while Kurt danced and Dave sang and... no, wait, that hasn't happened yet. It was the other Prom. Sorry, I get them mixed up. It was the Prom I didn't go to with Santana."_

_._

_Brittany was holding her head as if she had a headache._

"_Sorry... I get...I get muddled...I think I might go ..."_

_Carole started to lead the girl over to a chair in the shade while Burt poured her a large glass of iced water._

"_I was... what was I talking about?"_

"_Nothing important sweetie, "Carole smiled, "You were telling us about the time New Directions sang that song by Queen."_

.

"_Oh yes!" Brittany nodded, "Somebody to Love, I really liked that song because..."_

_Brittany stopped speaking and stared into space blankly for a few seconds._

.

"_The second cannot find herself until the first is found, but the first will do the finding. She will not speak until the deathless has died and the fire had been lit anew. Can I have a soda please?"_

_._

_Carole hid her shock well and handed the girl a soda._

"_Was that...?"Kurt whispered._

"_Prophecy." Pang nodded solemnly._

"_Quick, "Lord Tubbington hissed, "Write it down someone, while we still remember it. It's one of the rules. It must be written down."_

_Luckily, Rachel always had her diary on her. (You never knew when you might need to capture a song inspiration)_

.

.

Lord Tubbington changed the channel and looked over to the message he had just replied to on his email.

The boys would need to go to pick up the fragments of prophecy from the courier in New York, he decided. The fact that prophecies couldn't be transferred by electronic means at all had always bothered him, but it had only taken few days to gather the precious fragments together and get them sent over from Ireland. The boys needed a break anyway, and the lawyers would love the chance to finally get their signatures on the documents of transfer.

Lord Tubbington sighed as he watched more news stories about unexplained miracles and strange magical occurrences that were beginning to crop up across the country now, and even overseas.

_Faerie_ was approaching, the Queens were needed, he thought, Blaine and Kurt needed to come into their full power. They needed to solve the prophecy, they needed to...

He thought back on what the boys had achieved so far.

.

Lord Tubbington, for the first time in centuries, felt... excited.


	37. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

**A/N: Hi all, the bunnies must have had refined sugar, they've been hopping around all through my head. Since it's now 1am and I have to start work at 5am, I doubt I'm going to sleep much tonight, so I shall post what I've hacked at with the editors axe already, and try to post the rest either tomorrow night or maybe Sunday. **  
><strong>Thanks for all the great reviews, messages etc that really make me smile. I've been continuing to steal your names etc for original characters, I hope you still are all ok with that!<strong>

**Remember, long detailed reviews are like chocolate, or christmas! **  
><strong>I hope you like this chapter, it's a bit of a detour again, but I chose these bits to work on first as I thought the time had come for a little deeper look at some of the underlying themes (my bunnies have THEMES! who knew?)<strong>

**Next couple of chapters have a bit more action (well, so far) and even a bit of 'angst-lite', but not enough to break the spirit of an unwary reader.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I'm not a writer, actor, producer or anything offical in Glee. I am an avid fan and my only wish would be that Ian and Brad manage to reign in the mercurial Ryan enough to at least have a PRETENSE at character consistency.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Blaine Anderson was in deep, deep trouble.

He swore mildly to himself as he searched frantically under the bed, at the bottom of his school bag and even lifted the large set of drawers to see if what he had lost had rolled underneath.

Finn stopped in his tracks as he came barrelling through the door of Kurt's room (well, 'Kurt and Blaine's Room' was actually how he now labelled it in his head) and he stood staring, open-mouthed as he watched the shorter teen holding a huge set of drawers above his head with one hand while keeping his face down towards the floor.

"Dude, you would be so awesome on the football team next year, have you thought about joining after you enrol? We would totally beat every other team in the state with you on or side. Nobody would ever suspect you were a threat and then, BAM, you'd lay out their defensive blockers and the field would be ours for the taking!"

Blaine looked up from his searching.  
>"Ok Finn, one, that would only work once, after the surprise was used up, they would learn to be careful of me no matter what I look like. Two, I suspect that it might compromise my cover a little if I suddenly start bench pressing three hundred pound linebackers one-handed during a game. Three, while I love sports, and football in particular, I've never had that much ambition to play the game seriously, and I am likely to have a lot of other calls on my time coming up soon. Fourth, and last, I haven't decided if I'm transferring to McKinley or not yet, so the whole argument is pointless."<p>

"Oh like you're not going to be joining New Directions and eating lunch with Kurt everyday by the time school starts."

.

Blaine raised his eyebrow questioningly at Finn.

"Oh you know what I mean. You and Kurt... man, it's like... a PBJ! Like J and PB, either one alone is awesome, but together, they make lunch! You get what I'm saying Blaine? "

"You want to smear me on a sandwich and eat me?"

Finn's face turned a brilliant shade of puce and he rolled his eyes.

"No! I mean... Blaine! That's just... I... Blaine!"

Blaine laughed at the taller boy's discomfort as he moved Kurt's armoire to one side to look beneath it.  
>"So, which one am I then?"<p>

"Not telling now."  
>Finn folded his arms and huffed angrily.<p>

"I'm sorry Finn. I didn't mean to tease you." Blaine was truly apologetic now, and more than a little chagrined. "I guess I'm just..."

.

Finn broke into a wide grin.  
>"Blaine, man, you have to last longer than that. I was only kidding you. You really need to lighten up, stop being so serious all the time. We're like... brothers now, or we will be soon, it's my job to make your life a hell of torment and embarrassment. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about it in the constitution even."<p>

Blaine sighed in confusion even as he felt an ache somewhere in the area between his hearts.  
>"Finn...? I... you really think of me as your brother?"<p>

"Of course I do. I can totally relate to how you feel now. I mean, not with the whole 'in love with Kurt' thing, although I really do love Kurt. But don't forget, I was an only child before Mom married Burt, and Kurt was too. We both understand what it's like to suddenly find yourself with a brother. It took me and Kurt a while to get used to it. Sometimes it was a bit rough, I treated him so badly, and I was so selfish and... and...but now..."

Finn seemed so still and serious, and much more mature than Blaine could ever recall seeing him before.  
>" ...I would die for him you know. I'm serious. Kurt is my brother now, and I would die for him. I cannot imagine ever not having him in my life. Don't get me wrong, he annoys the crap out of me sometimes... most of the time actually. But he's... he's Kurt. That's all I can say."<p>

.

Blaine felt tears filling his eyes as he listened to his boyfriend's step-brother confess his heart.  
>Finn sniffed a little and focused his gaze on Blaine, his lop-sided grin shyly making its appearance again.<p>

"And now you're my bro too dude. Kurt and Blaine...? Even I can tell it's a forever deal. You might not have told him yet. You might not have told your folks, or even yourself, but you are so transferring to be with Kurt next year, and since you and Kurt are going to... I don't know, probably get married someday and have lots of gay babies and all that... I guess that makes you my brother too."

Blaine didn't know how to react, but he felt his eyes prickle with tears again.

.

Finn grinned goofily.  
>"Plus, if the jocks give me and Puck anymore pain about being in Glee, I'm totally going to enjoy watching my super-powered brother wipe them off the face of the earth."<p>

Blaine laughed at that.

.

.

"What are you looking for anyway dude?" Finn said after their giggles had subsided a little.

"Kurt asked me to make sure I packed his favourite pins and brooches, but I can't find his zebra one. I know I saw it earlier today, and now it's gone. He'll kill me when he..."

Finn pointed to the 'vanity' where the pin in question lay in the open.

Blaine blushed and rolled his eyes.  
>"Sometimes I can be so unobservant. I'm surprised I can find my own ass some days."<p>

"I know. "Finn replied.

"What does that mean?"

"Dude, I live with Kurt. I lived with Kurt last February. February? February Fourteenth? Valentines...?"

"Oh. " Blaine blushed again. "I still can't believe how clueless I was. Thank God Kurt waited for me. "

.

Finn smiled at Blaine's awkwardness and took pity on him.

"What time is your flight?"

"We have to be at the airport by three, Kurt is out with Mercedes shopping for an appropriate 'unexpected return to the city of my dreams' outfit."

"Want some lunch?"

"It's too early for lunch isn't it?"

"Brunch then? Kurt's been coaching Burt and me about brunch"

Blaine thought about it.  
>"Didn't you have breakfast?"<p>

"I was just thinking... a PBJ might be nice."

"You still didn't tell me which one I am and which is Kurt."

"Hmmm, let's see... one is kind of nutty, and the other is a bit fruity so..."  
>Finn started to wander off to the kitchen.<p>

"So I'm either fruity or a nut-job, is that it?" Blaine huffed in mock annoyance.

Finn's voice echoed down the hall.  
>"A little from column A... a little from Column B..."<p>

.

Blaine snorted and darted out of the room.  
>A few seconds later Finn's yelp could be heard echoing off the walls.<p>

"Ow, no fair, Mom! Mom! Blaine's gone all Dragon again and has me pinned to the ceiling. Mom!"

Carole's voice came up from the laundry room.  
>"Boys, we said no magic on the stairs, it's dangerous. Finn, you probably did something to deserve it, I know you. Blaine, put your brother down gently and come help me hang this out, it's mostly Kurt's anyway."<p>

In the stairwell Finn grinned as Blaine returned to human form and glared at Finn.

"I'll make you a sandwich dude."

Blaine grinned as he went to the laundry.  
>"Good luck with the fridge...dude!"<p>

Finn went pale.  
>"Mom, mom, can Blaine help me here first? I...I think... It will just take a few..."<p>

Blaine chuckled wickedly and went down the stairs to help Carole.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"What about this one?"

Kurt flicked a glance at the shirt Mercedes was holding up before rising to his feet and coming over to her.  
>"Hmm, "He mused, "Classic line, not too dressy, the pocket is simply screaming for some sort of accessory though, plus, I love the colour, although I'm not sure it would suit Blaine as well as a darker shade."<p>

"I picked it for you Kurt. You should wear red more often, it really does something to your skin tone, and it makes your eyes pop."  
>Tina Cohen-Chang took the shirt from Mercedes and held it up to Kurt's face while Mercedes turned him around so all three could look in the mirror.<p>

.

"I'll take it." Kurt smiled warmly at his friends. "I've missed shopping with my best girls. Mercedes, you always know me so well, and Tina... Tina my little Gothic angel, you have such a perfect eye for colour. Plus, it's fun to just hang out! I can't think why we haven't done this in so long."

"His name starts with B." Tina laughed, "We've missed you too Kurt."

"I've neglected you haven't I."

"Don't be silly Kurt, "Mercedes was trying on hats now, "We understand perfectly, being in love is so great. Plus you and Blaine together... it just makes me feel all warm inside, like it's meant to be."

"Plus Blaine really understands clothes, even if he fails to quite meet our lofty heights."Tina was choosing ties to match Kurt's new shirt.

"He still gets a little too fond of his preppy look though, "Kurt nodded vigorously as Tina held up a skinny black tie decorated with music notes made of silver thread.

"He's like a movie star from old Hollywood." Tina smiled dreamily, "And since I've been getting to know him better, I can really see why you're so in love with him Kurt. He's perfect. If I didn't have Mike, and Blaine was straight, and you weren't my best friend..."

.

"If you made a play for him I would cut you down where you stood and bury your remains somewhere pink and flowery Tina."

Tina laughed as Kurt threatened her with a pointy toed shoe.

.

"Well, I'm up for some mid-morning snack!" Kurt smiled as he gathered his many purchases, "And then, speaking of dreamy, handsome and talented men..."

"I can't believe you two are off to New York today." Mercedes said as she reluctantly put the hat she had just checked the price of back on the mannequin.

"I can't believe your Dad is letting you go to New York in the first place, let alone with your boyfriend, how did you manage to convince him to let you and Blaine go together Kurt?"

.

Mercedes watched Kurt bite his lip as he struggled not to tell Tina at least a little of what had been going on.

.

"Come on Tina, let's get in line before Mr Hummel here, that way we can grab a table and be sipping some coffee while he's still struggling to buy out half the store."

Kurt smiled gratefully at Mercedes running interference for him and watched the two girls as they headed off for the cashier.  
>He reached over to the hat Mercedes had been trying on and reflexively checked the price.<br>Nodding slightly in understanding he added the hat to his pile of clothes before gathering them up and heading towards the front of the store.  
>On the way he made a brief stop at a display of early release Fall fashions.<p>

.

Tina and Mercedes found a quiet corner of the mall and started gossiping.

"So Mercedes, what's up with Kurt these days? I mean, it's so obvious something has happened. He's walking taller, he's more relaxed, less nervous. He's always been self-confident, well, apart from that time just before he transferred to Dalton, but these days he's walking around like... like he's Kate Middleton. He's just oozing happiness. He talks to you about this stuff, so... how serious is it between him and Blaine? Mike says whenever he goes over to their place to play Halo or something, Blaine is always there. How cool is Burt with all of this? Also, what is Kurt hiding? I can read that boy like a book, and there's something you both know that I don't, so spill."

"It's not my secret to tell Tina. But I can tell you that Kurt and Blaine are very, very much in love, like, for real love, not just a high school fling. Burt and Carole are down with it. It took Burt a while but he really likes Blaine and he can see how happy and strong having Blaine around makes Kurt. You know that man would crawl over broken glass for his son."

"Burt is the best dad ever, and he's so protective of Kurt. That's why I can't believe he's letting the two of them jet off to New York together, all alone."

Tina smiled dreamily.  
>"All alone, just the two of them in the big city. Sharing memories, sharing cab rides... sharing a hotel room..."<p>

"Tina!"

.

.

"What scandalous remark has our oh-so-innocent looking songstress let fly with this time?" Kurt asked breathlessly as he plopped gracefully into the chair and laid his many purchases on the seat beside him.

"I was just talking about you and Blaine, all alone in NYC, taking the opportunity to share a hotel room, maybe even... share a bed..." Tina smirked as she teased Kurt.

Kurt took a few seconds to think, and blush slightly, before coming to a decision.  
>"Share a bed? Oh please Tina, we've been doing that for ages."<p>

Tina gasped as her mouth flew open.

.

"To sleep! "Kurt added forcefully, "Keep your minds out of the gutter you two. Neither of us is ready for sex yet. We just like to wake up in each other's arms and snuggle, although the wars over who gets to be big spoon can be pretty heated some nights."

"I have never heard you be so comfortable about this sort of thing before Kurt. What happened?" Mercedes was smiling as she said it.

"I know what you mean, You usually blush and go all coy when you even think about this sort of stuff."Tina added, "But what I need to know is, how on earth do you manage that with Poppa Bear in the house? Does Blaine wait till he's asleep and sneak into your room? How have you managed to not get caught? I need to know your secrets!"

.

"Blaine and I talk about everything, and I mean everything. I guess I'm not afraid of that side of things as much as I used to be. I'm not quite ready to 'do it' though, and neither is Blaine, but we both know that when we are, it will be with each other and we also know that there's no need to rush things. I would never do anything that could hurt him, and I know he feel the same way about me. We both know that we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, and I'm not being all teenaged romance novel when I say that. It's just something we both know. So, there isn't really a reason for me to be scared or squeamish about... sex. Although I admit I still find it a little embarrassing to talk about sometimes. As for my Dad? Blaine and I talk to him too, and to Carole. Dad knows where we're at with things, and he's really beginning to understand what Blaine and I go through, and need."

Tina sat open mouthed as Kurt told the two girls the story of waking up next to Blaine the morning after Burt had carried him in to him.  
>Mercedes shed a tear or two while Tina cried.<p>

"And now that I've managed to make my friends cry, I think that I shall return home and see if I can traumatise the rest of my family."

Tina smiled through her tears as Kurt rose to leave.

"Oh, before I forget, this is for you and this is for you." Kurt smiled as he handed Mercedes a hatbox and Tina a large bag from the store they had just been shopping in.

"Kurt, you didn't. Tell me you didn't..." Mercedes growled as she opened the box.

"It just looked so fabulous on you Mercy. It would be a crime against fashion not to put you two together."

Tina was gasping too as she drew out a long black overcoat from the bag Kurt had given her.

"Kurt...it's..."

The jacket was unusual. Long sleeve flared out slightly towards the wrist, while the skirt of coat flared slightly too.

"It's a frock-coat, "Kurt gushed, "Like pirates and that wear in the movies sometimes. Try it on."

Tina did so. Of course, it fitted perfectly. The details on the bodice and the lining of the coat were exactly the same blue as the streak she wore in her long black hair.

"Kurt, this must have cost..."

"Kurt, this hat is way too..."

Kurt raised his hand.  
>"I can afford it, trust me on this."<p>

.

Both girls seemed doubtful. Mercedes wondered if there was something else Kurt hadn't told her about. She knew all about the magic and all but...

"Blaine and I have been named in his Great-Grandmother's will. That's the main reason we need to fly to New York." Kurt winked slightly at Mercedes as he said this. "We need to sign some papers so the inheritance can be transferred into our names."

"Are we talking money here? " Mercedes asked "How much?"

"Why would you need to sign things in New York if it's just a bequest in someone's will? "Tina mused, "I mean, my Aunty died and left me her car and some cash, and all I had to do was go to the DMV to transfer the registration."

"There... there may be a bit of property involved... and a few investments in a portfolio...and maybe a title."

"You never told me about this!"

"Please Mercedes, I think you were already overloaded with information at the time."

"What have I missed?" Tina asked, raising her eyebrow at the two others.

.

.

"Hey... um...Hummel, sorry to bother you but..."

.

The three friends turned at the familiar voice and stared at the figure nervously standing behind them.

"What the hell do you want Azimio?" Mercedes glared.

"I... look, I need to talk to... "He swallowed nervously. "I need to talk to Hummel, ok?"

"His name is Kurt!" Tina spat.

"It's ok girls, I think I can handle this."  
>Kurt looked into the eyes of his former bully.<p>

"This is about Dave?"

Azimio nodded nervously.

"So why not go talk to him?"

"I just... I wanted to talk to you first. I need to learn a few things about... I... Dave is my friend. I really love the guy, you know. Not in the ... oh hell. You know what I mean. I saw Dave's facebook page last night, he's... he changed his status to... he's...everyone is going to know now that he's gay...and he's in a relationship now and...and there are pictures of them and... "

Mercedes and Tina were listening intently.

"...I just wanted to find out a bit about this Jack guy."

"Jeff." Mercedes and Kurt said almost simultaneously.

"Again I am missing out on the news!" Tina shook her head. "Wait a minute? Karofsky is gay? Dave Karofsky is in a relationship with a guy called Jeff? Are we talking Jeff, the blond Warbler, the one with the butt to die for and the floppy blond hair? That Jeff?"

.

All three of the others nodded silently.

"Well, first, wow! Talk about surprise. Second, wow, talk about hot boyfriend and third, wow, this explains a lot. You knew about this didn't you Kurt? I mean, about Karofsky, was this why you transferred? Did he...?"

"Yes it was. And Dave and I have been talking since I came back. He's actually a really, really nice guy Tina, I think you two could be great friends, please give him a chance."

"And he's in a relationship with a sexy hot Warbler now? Damn Kurt, you have to learn to trust me with these things!"

.

Azimio shuffled nervously again.

"Mercedes, Tina, I shall see you when I get back. Azimio, walk with me."

"Are you going to be safe..." Tina began.

"Kurt will be fine. "Mercedes smiled.

.

Azimio watched as Kurt gathered his bags and boxes and then reached out an arm.

"Hand them over Hummel, "He said gruffly.

"Why?"

"Because they look heavy, and I'm a three hundred pound line backer and you're a skinny geek with sparrow arms. "

Kurt glared at the large boy.

"Plus, you have been helping my boy Dave out, so it's only right that I return the favour. He'd kick my ass if I let you struggle with a load of stuff while I could have helped."

Kurt smiled wryly.  
>"You know him well."<p>

"Not as well as I thought it turns out. I'd... I'd be very grateful if you'd sort of help me with that actually. I need to learn all about this gay stuff. I don't want to say the wrong thing or offend his new boy or...do something stupid. Dave's my bro, I don't want to let him down anymore than I already have."

Kurt handed over most of his parcels.

"Walk this way."

Azimio snorted.  
>"Hummel, if I could walk that way I wouldn't need lessons in gay."<p>

.

Kurt supressed a smirk and rolled his eyes as he led Azimio towards the car park.

Tina and Mercedes watched them turn the corner.  
>Tina turned to Mercedes and shook her head.<p>

"I'm beginning to believe all those news stories about the end of the world. You know, the ones about miracle cures and strange magical accidents and the like. If that wasn't magic I don't know what is."

Mercedes patted her on the arm.  
>"Girlfriend, you ain't seen nothing yet."<p>

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

"Kurt, calm down baby, the seatbelt light is still on, we're taxiing still, and you have to stay seated till they say we can get up. Please baby, just calm down."

"I saw the Statue of Liberty this time Blaine! I saw it! I couldn't see it last time, there was cloud cover, but this time I saw it. Her! I saw her. I saw the torch and the book and..."

Blaine lent across the seat and kissed Kurt as he bounced in his seat.  
>Kurt stopped bouncing and just stared at his boyfriend.<p>

.

"You kissed me."

Blaine raised an eloquent eyebrow and smiled at Kurt's surprise.  
>"It's not like I haven't done it before Kurt, I'm pretty sure you were there all the other times too."<p>

"But... we're out in public and... you kissed me."

Blaine glanced around the cabin of the plane.  
>"We're in the first-class cabin of the midafternoon flight from Lima to New York. There are two other passengers, one of whom is reading Newsweek and the other is sorting through their bag. No one is watching us Kurt, and even if they were, we're in the first-class cabin. The staff won't let anyone hurt us, and if anyone tried to make us uncomfortable, we're nearly in the terminal by now Kurt. We could just get up and leave."<p>

"What about the staff Blaine? What if they want to make comments or..."

.

One of the flight attendants, who was moving to her position near the forward door to help passengers disembark, paused as she walked past them and leant over the boys.

"Sweetie, I couldn't help both overhearing your conversation and witnessing that kiss. Can I just say, most of my male friends who work with me are gay, and the same is true for all the staff. Also, you two are the most gorgeous couple, gay or straight that we have had the privilege to sneak peeks at for months, possibly all year, and that's a lot of couples, believe me. Even if it wasn't my job to keep you safe and happy, I would walk through fire to safeguard a love as sweet and pure as the one I see shining from both your eyes. Now, I know the seat-belt light is still on, but I'm going to bend a couple of rules and grab your bags down for you, so you two can have a flying start on your trip to New York. Gay marriage is legal here now you know, and if I wasn't already as proud as I can be about my home town, I would probably burst. I don't know if you two are planning to get hitched on this trip, perhaps you are a bit young, but I'd really appreciate it if when you do, however many years that is, you put your pictures in the New York Times so I'll know you've taken the plunge. Don't worry, I'll remember you two."

Kurt and Blaine sat in stunned silence as the woman, (in her early forties but looking much younger, Kurt estimated), took their carry-on bags from the overhead locker and handed them down.

"Thank you so much..." Blaine strained to look at the woman's name badge. "Patricia! I think I can speak for my boyfriend, Kurt here, when I say that you have probably said the most life-affirming and wonderful thing I have heard in a long time. Thank you from my heart. My name is Blaine Anderson by the way, and I am truly honoured to meet you."

Blaine reached out to shake her hand.

Kurt extended his hand too.  
>"I...I'm Kurt Hummel, I would also like to..."<p>

.

Kurt's voice failed him and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"Please, call me Trish. Now don't you dare get upset young man, you have an exciting city to explore. Now get moving!"

Kurt's face lit up with a smile so broad Patricia's heart thudded in her chest like a trip-hammer.

As she blushed and stood back to let them shuffle from their seats he reached into his pocket while he waited for Blaine to grab their bags.

"Patricia, you have made my trip already, "Kurt said with a stronger voice, "If I could have a wish come true, I wish that you find, for the rest of your long and joyous life, that you will always be treated with as much respect and kindness as you treat other people."

Blaine's eyes widened as he heard Kurt's words, and he smiled, reaching out to squeeze Kurt's shoulder.  
>"<em>Good one baby<em>." He sent the thought through the rings.

"Oh, if only wishes were horses, we'd all be able to ride!" Patricia laughed as she turned to deal with the other passengers.

.

As Kurt walked to the door Blaine whispered in his ear.  
>"So, would you like to go see the Statue of Liberty tomorrow, after we go meet the lawyers?"<p>

Kurt turned to look at the flight attendant as she stood athwart the aisle and held back the surging passengers to allow an elderly man the space to gather his legs underneath him and start forward.

.

"I don't think we need to bother this trip Blaine. We've already met New York's classiest lady."


	38. The Time Dragon

**A/N: Hi all, I've removed some of the stuff that was in this chapter and it's lying around looking for a place to live now. Hopefully it will fit in later down the line. I just didn't want to spoil the focus of this one. (Although - considering how close this chapter borders on the territory of "crack- fic" I'm not sure FOCUS is the correct word to use.)**

**The boys are in NYC now, and interesting times are ahead for them. (sometimes the best wishes to get coming true are the one's you didn't even think to ask for)**

**Thankyou once more for the wonderful reviews and messages you keep sending. PLEASE, continue them. I'm running out of names to steal, so in one case here, I stole a regular reviewer's entire COUNTRY! (I hope he doesn't mind, esp cause he's a cutie!) (If I were a couple of decades younger, a couple of seasons of "biggest loser" closer to my goal weight and several thousands of miles nearer... he still wouldn't look at me ): oh well )**

**For thse who asked, Steffi's baby is still in there, and she is WAY more anxious the brat is out soon than any of us could ever be.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or any of the places or people mentioned in this fic. I don't even own a HOUSE in Europe anymore, let alone a country (although I did visit it once)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.  
>.<p>

.

The sign the chauffer had been holding up had prompted an intense discussion in the back of the limousine.

.

"...so you don't like the idea either, is that what I'm hearing? "

Kurt nodded and smiled shyly at Blaine.  
>"I love my name, and I love yours, and I don't want either of them to change. "<p>

Blaine smiled too.  
>"But I don't think hyphenation is that tacky, what about Lloyd-Webber?"<p>

"For our kids, yes, but for us...I want to be Kurt Hummel who is in love with Blaine Anderson. I don't want a mouthful of a name. Changing our surnames is a gesture towards the whole straight agenda, and even they aren't doing it as much anymore. Lots of women keep their name after marriage these days. Besides, do you really want the war that trying to decide which of us is the girl would initiate?"

Blaine sat staring goofily at his boyfriend as the car made its way through the sunset lit streets of Manhattan.

"What? Blaine? Blaine what's wrong?"

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hands and leant forward to kiss him.  
>Kurt reflexively checked to see what the driver was doing, but the privacy screen was up and the man was invisible.<p>

"You said..."

"What? What did I say?"

Blaine captured Kurt's bottom lip in his teeth and breathed his answer into Kurt's mouth.

"You said 'our kids'."

Kurt gasped as he realised what he had said.  
>Blaine nuzzled his lips into Kurt's neck and sighed contentedly.<p>

"I love you Mr Hummel. "

"Blaine..." Kurt was nervous, "Remember when I said I would wait till we graduated from high school before I'd let you ask me 'that' question."

"Yes I do Kurt, and I understand what..."

"Shut up Blaine."

Blaine closed his mouth and mimed zipping it.

Kurt kissed him.  
>"Well... I never change my mind about things like that, you know that."<p>

Blaine nodded.

"But..."Kurt kissed him again, "If... hypothetically, I were to ask a very important question sometime before the end of our last year of school, and you were the person I asked... what would, hypothetically, your answer be?"

.

Blaine kissed Kurt so hard he thought his toes might curl.

"Yes Kurt, I would love to go to Senior Prom with you, and asking me this early gives us heaps of time to find the right boutonnières!"

.

Kurt stared at Blaine in shock until both boys collapsed in paroxysms of laughter.

"Blaine Warbler Anderson, you are a total goof!"

"But I'm your goof! Your adorable goof!"

.

"Will you be my adorable goof forever?" Kurt asked lightly, but his eyes held a deep gleam that Blaine (for once) noticed.

"For richer or poorer, in sickness or in health." Blaine's voice held the slightest, almost imperceptible quiver.

Kurt's eyes shone with tears again, and he leant forward to kiss Blaine more fiercely than he ever had before.  
>"I will."<p>

.

"Mr Anderson, Mt Hummel? We're pulling up at the hotel now sirs."  
>The chauffer's slight Connecticut accent made his words seem crisp and precise.<p>

Blaine and Kurt stole a last kiss before Blaine took the piece of paper the driver had used to find them at the airport and folded it into his bag.

"What's that for?"

"So we have a souvenir of the occasion." Blaine responded.

"What occasion?"

"The first and last time I was officially Mr Anderson-Hummel."

.

Kurt rolled his eyes again and grabbed his compact out of his bag to check his hair.  
>"Goof."<p>

"It's perfect Kurt, stop fussing."

"I want to make a good impression on the staff at the hotel. Come to that... what hotel are we staying at?"

Blaine shrugged and tidied his own hair.

"I thought your Dad made all the bookings?" Kurt said.

"No, the lawyers and Lord Tubbington arranged everything over the phone."

Kurt snorted with laughter.  
>"I wonder if the lawyers know they were dealing with a fourteen pound mixed breed tabby who used to be the Greek God Pan?"<p>

"You have something against Greek Gods?" Blaine asked arching his brow.

Kurt giggled.  
>"The only thing I want to have against a Greek God is me against you, my Adonis."<p>

.

Blaine blushed and grabbed Kurt into a passionate embrace again.

"Blaine! Hair!"

"Those Gods were always getting frisky with Wood Nymphs, weren't they?"

"Hair, Blaine! You can do anything you like to it after we're in the room, but I don't want the staff at some fancy hotel looking at me like I'm the before picture in a 'Wen' commercial."

"Promise?"

"Blaine!"

.

"Mr Hummel? Mr Anderson? We've arrived."

The faint sound to the car engines stopped and Blaine and Kurt hurriedly prepared to face New York City.

"I wish I'd paid attention. Did Lord T mention where he was booking us?"

Blaine shrugged again.  
>"I'm sure it will be nice."<p>

The door opened and the chauffer was there, flanked by the hotel doorman and a bellhop who smiled as the boys exited the beautiful car.

"Oh Gaga!" Kurt breathed as he read the signage on the glass windows of the hotel lobby.

The doorman smiled as he offered to take Kurt's hand luggage.

"Welcome to the Trump International Hotel and Tower Mr Hummel, Mr Anderson. Mr Trump apologises for being unable to meet you tonight, he's still delayed in a meeting in Los Angeles, but he would be very grateful if you would be available for lunch in two days time, on the first of July. He's looking forward to meeting you both."

Kurt stood open mouthed.  
>Blaine's innate sense of the dapper kicked into high gear.<br>"Tell Mr Trump we would be delighted. Please just get him to leave a message with the time once his schedule is better known."

The doorman nodded amiably and gathered their cases.

"Your secretary, Mr Goodfellow I believe he was, has left instructions with us for the first night of your stay. Mr Trump insisted on you having his suite though, he'll be staying at his place on Long Island when he returns anyway. Dinner reservations are being held for you at either Jean Georges or Nougatine, although, if you'd prefer to stay in your suite, Chef Vongerichten himself has agreed to cook for you privately. I personally think that you would enjoy eating on the Mistral Terrace, overlooking Central Park. The menu is the same as Nougatine's. Please, allow me to show you to the private elevator. Here are your keys, and once again, welcome to The Trump International."

Kurt and Blaine had seemed speechless as the group walked, although unbeknownst to the staff around them they were having a fierce telepathic conversation.

.

"_Who the hell is Mr Goodfellow?"_

"_Please Blaine, you must have read 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', it's another name for Puck."_

"_Oh! Robin Goodfellow!"_

"_Did we just agree to have lunch on Friday with Donald Trump, THE Donald Trump?"_

"_Calm down Kurt, he's just a guy."_

"_He's one of the richest freaking guys in the country Blaine!"_

"_So are we, remember? And being rich doesn't make you any scarier or nicer than being not-rich, remember?"_

"_I have nothing to wear!"_

"_You have plenty to wear Kurt, I helped pack it remember?"_

"_Stop telling me to remember! What if I don't want to remember? What if all I can remember is that I am booked for lunch with Donald 'You're Fired' Trump and I have absolutely nothing to wear."_

"_Well that would be a problem then, because I don't want anyone seeing you naked except me Kurt, and even I haven't had a chance to do that yet. When did you first realise these feeling you had for Donald Trump?"_

"_Blaine!"_

"_It stopped you fretting didn't it?"_

"_Goof."_

"_Ditto!"_

"_Do not start with me Anderson."_

"_Shh Kurt, I think someone is trying to talk to us."_

.

The boys simultaneously focused their attention on the slender Asian woman in the Versace suit who was smiling at them.  
>At the sudden power in their gazes she visibly started and blushed.<p>

"Sorry, we must have both been miles away."  
>Blaine gave her smile number three which, as Kurt could have predicted, caused the cool, calm and collected businesswoman to blush like a little girl.<p>

Kurt noticed that they had arrived in what had to be one of the most beautiful suites he had ever seen. He watched the other staff and nodded politely as they bade the boys farewell, leaving the young woman alone with them.

The young woman was staring at Blaine.

Oh not again, Kurt sighed to himself.  
>"I'm sorry, I was so out of it I must have missed your introduction, I'm Kurt Hummel and this is my boyfriend, Blaine Anderson."<p>

.

The young woman continued to glance at Blaine as she shook Kurt's hand.

"I'm Song Lee, I know, It's like super Asian isn't it. I'm one of the deputy managers here. The manager would have been here to greet you himself, but I pulled rank, and then of course, I got caught up in one of our hourly crises and couldn't meet you as you arrived."

Kurt was trying not to be annoyed that she kept staring at his boyfriend. After all, he liked to stare at him too. Blaine had definitely been out of the house the day the man delivering the ugly called round.

"Excuse me? You pulled rank? But you said..."

"How did I pull rank on my boss? Easy! He outranks me in the business world, but I pulled out the 'family' card to make sure I was the one who got to meet you."

She continued to stare at Blaine without meeting his gaze.

"You're family?"Kurt asked as Blaine continued to remain oblivious to the scrutiny as he searched the room.

Blaine turned at that and looked more closely at young woman.

.

"Hello distant cousin! " She grinned as she waved at Blaine, "Last time I saw you we were in diapers and you had just stuck a caterpillar stuck up my nose."

At Kurt's stifled laugh she held up and elegant hand, "I was seven and an incorrigible tomboy, it was my caterpillar."

Blaine smiled at her and reached out to embrace her.  
>The look that flitted across her face was... interesting.<p>

"Is something wrong? "Kurt asked.

Lee smiled at the boys and looked at Blaine again.  
>"Is... is it true?"<p>

"Is what true?" Blaine asked reasonably.

"Is Grandpa Pang back?"

"He's waiting for us to return to Lima in a few days time. We were originally going to just pop here, grab what we came for and fly back the same day, but our folks suggested it would be a good opportunity for us to have a break from all the events happening back home."

"I've been following it all on the news."

"Some pretty strange stories don't you think?" Kurt asked searchingly, wondering how much this cousin of Blaine's might know.

Lee smiled at him.  
>"Grandpa Pang used to take me for rides over the mountains on his back when we both lived in the Philippines, nothing is more beautiful than a Dragon in flight."<p>

"I agree with that!" Kurt grinned as he winked at Blaine.

Song Lee looked at the interchange and made a silent query.

"Genetics will not be denied it turns out. Grandpa Pang has had to give me flying lessons."

Lee gasped and her eyes went wide.

"Could... could I see? Not here though, not in the entryway, there are cameras which are monitored..."

"They're already on a loop and won't show anything we don't want them to show. " Kurt smiled at her, "It's ok, they'll go back to work normally after this."

"I guess the stories from Lima aren't a hoax then."

"Not even exaggerations, "Blaine said softly, "It's going to be an interesting time."

"Now, I believe we promised you a showing? "Kurt smiled, "Blaine, scale up and impress the lady."

.

Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt fondly and Lee gasped as he flashed into his Dragon form.

"Green and... Brown! Oh my!" Lee seemed surprised.

Blaine flickered back to human form and Kurt led the way into a huge lounge area.  
>Lee showed them where things were kept as she made a cup of tea for all of them.<p>

"What is the significance of the colours? I noticed Pang is greens and blues, does it all mean something?"

"The scale edging indicates the elemental mastery of the Dragon. "Lee explained, "Pang is a River Dragon, as well as everything else he is. Green shows his mastery of water, while the Blue..."

"Air? "Kurt guessed, "So that's why he can control weather? Fly by cloud, make it snow indoors."

"Exactly!"

"So the Brown on Blaine's scales means..."

"He is an Earth Dragon! Water and Earth. I don't think I've ever heard of such a combination before. Dragon's who are solely of the Earth are rare too. They can make things grow, speak to all living things, accelerate crops or heal injuries in others. Some of them can make tremors in the earth, or calm quakes. Some can even Move Mountains if the legends are to be believed. I have no idea what a Water/Earth Dragon might be capable of, you are unique indeed my lord."

"What? What's with the 'my Lord'?"  
>Blaine seemed embarrassed.<p>

"You have five toes my..."

"I'm Blaine, I'm your cousin and if you insist on calling me my lord I will go find another caterpillar."

.

Song Lee laughed at that and the tension was broken.

"I don't think I have any amazing powers over the elements though, "Blaine said as he sipped his tea.

"Pang kicked the bucket. " Kurt said simply.

"What?"

Song Lee watched the banter between the pair and felt her smile broadening. So much love, it made her teeth ache, like she was eating a barrel of toffees.

"When Pang kicked his bucket, in Dave's room at the hospital, when Rachel burst in, next time I looked, the water had somehow crawled back into the bucket and the movement of the water had righted it."

"Pang might have done that."

"I saw you glare at it Blaine, face it, it was you."

"Oh great, more damned super powers, just what I needed."

Lee interrupted.  
>"I'd love to stay and get even more confused, but I better go see what other fires have flared up while my back was turned. If you need anything, please call me, my number is on this card, or you can just call room service. Usually Mr Trump keeps a personal butler and a staff here when he or his guests are staying, but now I understand why your secretary asked for privacy. If you don't object I'll arrange for a table on the Terrace for you at eight? That will give you plenty of time to freshen up. Kurt, I already know what your question is going to be, and what you are wearing now is more than suitable for anywhere in this hotel. You just got off a plane and both of you are better dressed than at least seventy percent of our guests, and that includes other royalty too."<p>

Blaine made as if to speak.

"Blaine, our mutual many greats grandfather is, or at least, was, the Emperor of the Celestial Court. We're both royalty if you want to look at it objectively. Technically he was a God too."  
>She left the boys sitting speechless at that thought.<p>

.

"Oh, how silly of me!" Kurt exclaimed.

"What?" Blaine asked.

'I called you a Greek God, I was wrong... you're an Asian God!"

"Shut up Kurt."

"Make me!"

Blaine looked at him wickedly.  
>"You did say I could do anything I wanted to your hair once we were alone in the room, did you not?"<p>

Kurt ran, shrieking with laughter, from the room and tried to hide, while Blaine giggled to himself and followed him into the bedroom.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"It's good, but it's no Lima Bean medium drip."  
>Blaine winked at his boyfriend as he sipped the coffee from the high-end establishment he and Kurt had staggered into after what had felt like a marathon meeting with the lawyers representing the Society of Danu. After all they had discovered and discussed with the team Lord Tubbington had assembled, the boys had decided to leave the small box of prophecies with the lawyers until the day they left. Kurt had refused to even look at it, which worried Blaine a great deal.<p>

Kurt smiled wanly and sipped his coffee silently.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok Kurt? I hope you're not just trying to appear strong for me. I'd tell you a secret, but I expect you already know since you are the one of us who actually seems to be able to use these rings properly, I'm scared witless too. I'm just putting on a brave front so I can impress this really hot guy I've got my eye on. I reckon he's a sucker for the whole 'hero' thing, so my plan is to wait till a ravening princess is about to destroy the kingdom, and maybe even eat him, and then watch his face when the Dragon swoops down and rescues him."

Kurt made no sound, but his eyes flickered to the huge screen which dominated Times Square and which also dominated the view through the cafe's windows.

Blaine turned to look at what had attracted Kurt's attention.

The commercials showing on the screen were momentarily disrupted by words which scrolled across the screens before the screen returned to normal.

_**...Goof...Big...Goof...Dorky...Goof...Big...Dorky...Nerdy...Goof...**_

.

Blaine grinned and took a larger sip.  
>"You love my inner goof!"<p>

Kurt sighed and reached his hand out, Blaine's hand slipped into it without even a thought.

"I'm just... Blaine, it's all a bit overwhelming. So many... so... so damn much!"

"We already knew it was a lot of money Kurt, I mean..." Blaine decided to tackle one issue at a time. He looked around the room suddenly nervous at speaking in public about certain things.

"We're OK Blaine, no electronic devices are listening in from nearby and no long range microphones either. I discovered this morning I could sense them. Someone was trying to listen in on that poor woman's breakfast conversation on the terrace this morning. I told the microphone to stop working and leave her alone, it's going to tell all its friends too. I wonder why she was having her privacy invaded like that."

"That 'woman' was Erin Andrews Kurt."

"Who?"

"Never mind."

"And I'm shielding us from anyone actually sitting near us, so feel free to talk. Just don't break into song or dance around on the tables. That would be too much for me to hide in the state I'm in this morning."

.

"Kurt, we already knew we were rich now, like, really, really rich. It won't change us."

"Blaine, it already has. We're having lunch with Donald Trump this Friday. "

"It's changed where we stay and who we can meet and how much shopping we can do, but it's only changing what we can do Kurt, not who we are inside."

"What about all our dreams Blaine, our hopes and our ambitions? What about college and living here in New York and auditioning for roles on Broadway. It's all gone now."

"What? Why? How is it gone?"

"We could stay in bed for the rest of our lives Blaine and be richer than most people in the world could ever dream. We could buy a theatre, put on any show we liked with ourselves and our friends as the stars. Hell, we could buy degrees from any University in the world if we wanted to. What have we got left to strive for?"

.

Blaine thought about it for several minutes.

"We could Kurt, that's the important word there, 'could'. We won't though. We don't have to tell anyone about the full inheritance, well, maybe our folks, but we don't need to tell Finn do we. We can just tell our friends we inherited an indeterminate amount of money, maybe a couple of million dollars or so, and that will allow us to go shopping or have trips abroad or get a nice apartment here instead of struggling in a flea-pit. But we will still be auditioning for shows and studying for exams and struggling, because you're right, it's the struggling that makes the rewards so sweet. We have this amazing safety net to fall back into now Kurt, but it doesn't mean that we can't enjoy learning to fly on the trapeze does it?"

"It's not just the money Blaine. It's...What happens when there is no University, or Broadway or...or fashion!"

"Kurt?"

"You heard Brittany, and Pang and Lord Tubbington. _Faerie_ is returning. Magic is coming into the world again. That is going to change everything. How could the world keep going like it has after that? When magic was still a fading memory, the world was a much simpler and smaller place. Now its effect is going to be huge. What would happen if a satellite took a picture of Pang flying? Or people started being taken and killed by Will-o-the-Wisps again? Are wars going to be declared because someone's nightmares suddenly become real, or their prayers start being answered? Is anyone going to care about the Lion King if you've got a real, live Aslan giving interviews on Piers Morgan and an actual Fairy starring in Peter Pan? What's going to happen to us, to our families Blaine?"

"I don't know Kurt. We'll find out together OK? We will just have to look after each other."

Kurt smiled and kissed Blaine's hand.

.

"So... at least you're not freaking out about being filthy stinking rich anymore are you Kurt?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and groaned.  
>"It's just... the amount is... I mean, Blaine, we're... we're ..."<p>

"We're richer than Holland is how I've been thinking of it. That cute accountant who was talking me through the whole bank account procedures put it into perspective for me."

"Exactly! We're two seventeen year-old boys from Ohio. Two seventeen-year old boys from Ohio are not supposed to have a total net worth larger than Holland's, Blaine!"

"Hey, at least it wasn't over the Trillion dollar mark. That would have made us richer than Australia!"

"Blaine! Not helping!"

"Just stay calm Kurt, it's not like there's a huge difference between a million and a trillion. Either way it's a hell of a lot of money. We've discussed this before, I know you Kurt. You're going to be fine, most of the assets and property are already dedicated to charitable foundations and the like as it is, we can just leave it alone if you prefer. Although, I would like to suggest that we take these new 'no limit' credit cards and see if we can scare the salespeople on Fifth Avenue out of their socks!"

"Blaine..."

"You are not going to tell me you don't want to go shopping? Kurt, it's our money now. Spending it in those stores might not be as worthy as setting up a soup kitchen for the homeless, but we can afford to do both remember. Besides, if no one ever bought high-end fashion or ate in fancy restaurants, the people who work there would be homeless too. Let's have a guilt free time ok? Let's go have fun. We're only human after all."

"I'm human, Blaine, I don't know what you are these days Timelord."

"Don't be a big meany-head. I'm still human on the inside."

"Blaine, I saw the X-rays. I saw what the scanner at the airport had on its screen before I asked it to lie. I've heard your hearts beating. Blaine, I fall asleep against that chest every night. You're a damn Timelord and... Oh hell, I love it, so there."

.

"I suppose it's better than being a hobbit..."

"You're still a hobbit too Anderson."

"Cat."

"Puppy."

"I act like one sometimes, I'm man..."

Kurt snorted.

"...Timelord enough to admit that, but I've never turned into one, Leopard Boy."

"OK, Dragon then."

"We've been through this Kurt...you love the Dragon."

"So, you admit it then? You're not human, you are a Timelord. A Timelord and a Dragon, a sort of..."

.

Kurt stopped speaking and his eyes widened as he had a thought.

"Kurt? Kurt what's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just realised what I want to do this morning. Come on Blaine, we're going to go meet another relative of yours, and say a thankyou that I didn't get a chance to say last time I was here.

.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Kurt! Kurt, you got lucky last time but..."

"There he is! Come on Blaine, I want to say hi. His name is Mo I think."

.

The large black man turned as he heard the voices coming from where there shouldn't be voices.  
>Making their way through the rows of seats towards him were two boys. One was a short, curly haired boy with a little too much gel in his hair and a face that could have made Gregory Peck jealous, the other was...<p>

"Hello sir, I'm sure you probably don't remember me, but my friend Rachel and I broke in here a few weeks ago and you...

"Hello boys, is this one from Ohio too? I certainly remember you young man, what brings you back here again? Is breaking and entering becoming the new 'to do' activity for young mid-western people these days?"

Kurt blushed as he smiled up at the man.  
>"No, I just wanted to say thank you to you for letting Rachel and me sing on a real Broadway stage. It was one of the most pivotal moments of my life and I never got a chance to tell you how much it meant, to both of us."<p>

.

Blaine read the short name on the man's name badge, Kurt's memory had been correct, of course.  
>"He talked about how kind you had been for days sir, may I call you Mo? Kurt and we just wanted to make sure you knew how much that one simple act of kindness did for him and Rachel."<p>

The shorter boy was a real charmer, Mo thought to himself.

"We're in the city for a few days, we got in last night, and..."

"Come with me boys, I want to introduce to you some people."

.

The Gershwin's front of house manager walked towards the stage and Kurt and Blaine trailed after him.  
>Reaching the edge of the orchestra pit he called down into it.<p>

"Hey guys, remember those kids I told you about a few weeks ago, the one's from Ohio? Well, one of them came back here to say thank you to me, do you want to say hi?"

Blaine and Kurt could hear the sounds of movement and talking from within the pit.

Mo turned to them.  
>"We have a special rehearsal later this afternoon and some of the orchestra came in early to set up for it."<p>

"Is it the girl or the boy who turned up? " A voice rose from the darkness of the pit.

"The boy. His name is Kurt apparently, he's brought his..." Mo turned and regarded the pair with experienced eyes. "...boyfriend with him this time. I don't know his name yet. Hey, why don't you guys help out and I can finally prove I heard what I heard. Settle that damned argument once and for all."

.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in puzzlement.

Mo smiled kindly at them.  
>"I kind of hung around to listen when you and your friend were singing. I may have told several people about how you and that girl were truly amazing. I've been around for a very, very long time in this business, and I hear a lot of hopeful wanna-be stars. These guys didn't believe me when I told them that a boy from Ohio had sung the song better than our current Glinda does it. I was sort of hoping you might be willing, if they agree to give you some accompaniment, to show these losers that I know what I know and I heard what I heard."<p>

Kurt and Blaine stood there speechless while the band members did their final tuning.

"Could Blaine...?"

Mo gestured to Blaine.  
>"I imagine you sing like a damned angel too don't you. Get up there with him and win me my bet! Guys, play 'Not That Girl' first, and then the duet ok, and listen to the sweet sound of your money becoming mine."<p>

.

Blaine was practically dragged up the stairs by Kurt.

Pausing only to gesture with his head towards the huge Time Dragon being stored in the fly tower, Kurt kissed Blaine swiftly and then launched into the words of his favourite character from Wicked.

_Hands touch, eyes meet. Sudden silence, sudden heat, hearts leap in a giddy whirl..._

.

The moment was even more magical this time.

Kurt's voice soared like an angel and then vibrated the low notes with a passion that made Blaine cry.

When the orchestra segued into 'As Long as Your Mine' Blaine was caught up in Kurt's spell.  
>He felt the music surging through him as his entire world became the oceans of Kurt's eyes and the soft caresses of his voice.<p>

The silence which greeted the end of the song wrapped around them as they kissed on the stage, oblivious to what was happening in the theatre.

.

"Who was that singing?"  
>The voice was loud and resonant.<p>

"I want to know that too, that was amazing."  
>This voice was female and vaguely familiar to both boys.<p>

The entire orchestra and several stage-crew had by now come onto the stage to see who had been singing.

"Where is the girl who was singing and which one of you boys was the other one?"

The man was stocky and wore glasses, the woman was tall and thin.

.

"I was the girl, 'Kurt sighed, "I know, I'm a boy, why am I singing girl's..."

Kurt stopped and stared as his brain identified the man.  
>Blaine was similarly shocked into stillness, his arm still holding Kurt by the waist.<p>

A brief telepathic conversation buzzed between the boys.

_Blaine! Blaine! That's Stephen Schwartz! I just sang a song from Wicked to the man who wrote it. Ahhhhhh!  
><em>

_You just sang two songs Kurt. Now Kurt, try not to squeal too loudly, and hold on to me if you feel like you're about to faint, but just let your gaze drift over to the woman he's with._

_JULIE FREAKING TAYMOR! It's Julie Taymor. Blaine! It's Julie Taymor, breathe, I can't breathe..._

.

"Could someone get us a chair? I think Kurt may be about to faint, he's just recognised you Mr Schwartz, Ms Taymor and I think he's having a panic attack."

A stagehand threw a chair across the stage, blinking in surprise as Blaine caught it one handed and sat Kurt into it in one motion.

"Just breathe Kurt, breathe in with me and hold it... that's the way..."

"You seem to be handling it a lot better than... Kurt was it? What might your name be young man?"

"Just breathe out now Kurt... I'm Blaine Anderson, I'd shake your hand sir but I'm a little busy right now. As for me being calm, I'm afraid that's a total lie. It's just I can't afford to have a panic attack until after Kurt recovers, then I'll probably go into a screaming fit and it will be his turn to calm me down."

.

"Does this mean you're not our emergency one o'clock audition that's just arrived ridiculously early?" Julie asked.

"Audition? No... We... we were just here to thank Mo for his kindness to Kurt a few weeks ago and..."

"Kurt is the boy from Ohio Mo was talking about?" Stephen seemed upset for some reason, "Damn, I owe Mo Fifty bucks now!"

.

Kurt was calm now and blushing furiously with embarrassment.  
>"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I just..."<p>

"It's fine Kurt, I admit I don't usually have that effect on people I meet, but might I be right in thinking that you are a serious, serious fan of our work?"

Julie Taymor was bending down to see if Kurt was alright.

Julie Freaking Taymor!  
>Kurt felt his breath catch again, but the gentle touch on his hand from his boyfriend calmed him.<p>

"I didn't think you'd be here till after lunch Mr Schwartz, "Mo drawled.

"Lunch!" Stephen smiled, "Boys, did you have plans for lunch? "

Kurt and Blaine shook their heads.

"Great!" Julie was beaming too, "I agree totally Stephen, let's go to Ruby Foo's and discuss some things with these two."

.

Kurt was having a hard time believing any of this was actually happening, but Blaine's solid presence beside him and in his mind was a comfort.

Wait, Julie was still talking.  
>"Mo, if anyone actually comes for the audition, tell them the parts have been filled."<p> 


	39. Set Fire To The Rain

**A/N: Please don't hate me. **

**I realise that some of you may after this chapter, but I promise I will try to get the next one out ASAP. I just... it's 2am and I need to sleep, and I reached a logical and wonderful stopping point and its... well, to be perfectly honest, it's a bit of a huge double cliffhanger.**

**I'm so sorry. :(**

**Reviews are as always welcomed. The more reviews I get the faster I shall provide some relief (I hope) - I know the more reviews etc I get (esp long, detailed and thoughtful ones) the more inspired I feel to write... or in this case - edit.**  
><strong>Things are about to hit the fan (in some cases, literally) - so hold on to your hats.<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or a private jet, or a cage, or Facebook or anything much... I do own a bed, and I shall fall into it as soon as I post this!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Blaine Anderson winced with pain as the sound continued to vibrate the very bones of his skull.

Kurt clapped his hands over his ears too and shut his eyes.

.

"Rachel! Mercedes! Shut up! If you can't stop making that god-awful noise I'm going to switch off this computer and never, ever make or accept a video call to or from either of you again."

Finally the threat made the two divas take a break from their screaming.

.

"Kurt, I... it's just... Oh My God Kurt, you actually sang in front of both of them...?"

"White boy, are you sure neither of you cheated with that magical mojo stuff? Not that I don't think you couldn't ace an audition without..."

"Mercedes! How could you even think that? Blaine and Kurt would never..."

"I'm not saying they would Rachel, but sometimes..."

"Kurt said he didn't even realise they were listening. Oh Kurt I am so jealous, but I know you will..."

"I'm jealous too, of both you boys. So when do you find out more about this concert thing, did either of them..."

"Mercedes, I told you all about it after we got the text from Kurt. It's all online. A special Independence Day concert being held at Radio City to raise funds for World-Wide Disaster Relief. Kurt, I just want to say that, putting aside all considerations of the chance to work with such theatre luminaries as Julie Taymor and Stephen Schwartz, this cause alone would be enough to..."

"Rachel, you're running on at the mouth again. I'm sure Kurt and Blaine have more to tell us. So Kurt, are they going to be televising this concert? I mean, I wish I could be there in person to see you both..."

"My Fathers have already sent invitations round the neighbourhood for everyone to come to a viewing party in our basement. We can watch a member of New Directions, and an honorary member too, Blaine, perform in a production directed by the greatest female theatre director on Broadway. I admit, I always thought I would be the first to..."

"Could you just for once let someone else have a little bit of the limelight Rachel? Is that too much to..."

"As I was going to say. If it can't be me, I cannot think of a friend I would love to see honoured in this way more than you, Kurt. Have they given you the sheet music yet? Do you know who else is..."

"Let the boy talk Rachel..."

.

"Do we actually need to be here?" Blaine whispered the query into Kurt's ear as he leant against his shoulder and kissed his ear.

Kurt listened and watched the video streams of Rachel and Mercedes as they bickered with each other.

"Probably not, "He answered quietly, "But you have to admit, it's a heck of a lot more drama than anything on the TV tonight."

Blaine laughed as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's chest and pulled the slender boy closer to him.  
>Kurt arched his graceful neck and turned his head to Blaine's as he lay back on Blaine's broad chest.<br>Blaine smiled at the dreamy look in Kurt's eyes and closed the distance between their mouths with a tender and very gentle kiss.

.

"Awwww!" Rachel and Mercedes both sighed in unison.

Kurt sat up and blushed slightly.

.

"So, Kurt, explain to me again why they needed to audition performers for a show four days before the show is due to open?" Mercedes was still a little lost.

"Half the cast is trapped in Japan. They were doing some publicity for the continuing earthquake relief there and they got trapped by a typhoon. The rest of them are down with a nasty outbreak of flu which has managed to hit several of the theatres here apparently. Most of the big name celebrities are fine, but Ms Taymor had designed the concert as a showcase of young and up-coming talent, so they have a huge hole to fill, more than a dozen numbers, and some of them have some really complex choreography."

"Are you going to be up for that? I mean, I know New Directions managed to pull together a winning Sectionals performance with under an hour's notice, but this might be beyond even the powers of Kurt Hummel, Super-Diva."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look.

Blaine grinned and took over the conversation.  
>"Actually girls, that's something we need to talk to you about..."<p>

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Santana Lopez hated to lose. No matter what the stakes, no matter what the risk, she was always a winner.  
>She glared at her enemy and then checked the weapons she had left at her disposal.<br>Luck had been against her today, the unthinkable was becoming not just a thought, but a very real possibility.

Santana Lopez was in danger of losing, unless...

"...Quinn, do you have any sevens?"

"Go fish."

Damn.

Santana was still swearing to herself when Brittany burst into the room.

"Oh well, game over now, so sad, great game guys, who wants a drink? I'm really thirsty, come on Britt lets..."

"Nice try Lopez, "Steffi smirked at her, smirked! "Quinn, have you got any nines?"

Quinn sighed and handed two cards over.

Steffi placed four nines face up on the bed.

"Santana, have you got..."

"Ok, Ok, you win. Happy?"

Steffi just nodded and smiled.

.

Brittany drew Santana into a strong hug and began to talk.  
>"Santana, how do trumpets fly? I mean, is it just trumpets or can other instruments fly too? Is that what they mean when they have to do an instruments only landing in the movies? Do they have all the instruments in the plane or just the small ones? I mean, wouldn't it be really hard to get a piano up those tiny stairs? Oh, hi Quinn. I came in just before, but I didn't say anything, in case you were wondering how long I've been here. Hi Steffi! You're going to have a baby soon you know. Santana, your mom is here too, she wants to give Steffi a chequebook...or something... anyway, she is going to want us to give her some space in here, so I was wondering if we could leave before Mercedes gets here because..."<p>

The sound of the doorbell echoed up the stairs.

"...never mind, it's too late now, second drawer down under the packet of emery boards Quinn, so Mercedes is going to be very loud now, but we all need to listen to her carefully. Well, I don't because I never remember what anyone says anyway. Steffi, you need to get Dr Lopez to say yes, so get Santana to work with you on her. Hi Miss Meggle, Lord Tubbington wants to know if you're settling in ok. I thought settlers travelled in covered wagons, do you have a covered wagon in your garage Quinn? So Meggle, please help Steffi convince Santana's mom that she needs to be allowed to go with us. Steffi that is, not Santana's mom, although that might make it easier to convince her. May be she should come too."

"Come where Brittany honey?" Quinn had a headache, and she was confused by the blonde's verbal barrage so... no change there then.  
>She reached into the drawer for some Tylenol and found them... under a packet of emery boards.<p>

"On the trumpet plane with us to go see Kurt and Blaine and sing a lot. It's going to be awesome, well, apart from the scary parts. I can't really decide which it's going to be actually. Probably scary, but fun too. Oh, hi Mercedes, Santana and I need to go pack for the trip, what time is the trumpet arriving? Steffi, remember to talk to Santana's mom about... oh darn, Santana, we have to stay now. I'm going to go call Lord Tubbington and get him to throw some stuff in a suitcase, and tell him he better get the cat carrier down from the attic, unless he decides to fly with the old Chinese man, but that's a long way, even if you are a cloud the whole time. I also know he doesn't like to leave me alone for long, but he's going to have to soon, so maybe we could all play cards on the trumpet... if there's room... Santana, how many seats does a trumpet jet have?"

Mercedes Jones stood in the doorway and looked at Brittany in confusion.  
>Brittany smiled back at her, kissed Santana on the nose and left the room, already dialling her phone as she went.<p>

"Girls, "Mercedes said excitedly, "You are never going to believe this. Rachel is off telling the boys at Finn's now and I don't have time to go into all the details. Basically, you all need to pack a bag and meet up with the Warbler boys at the airport by noon, we're going to New York!"

"Why?" Santana asked.

"How?" Quinn asked, "It's the Independence Day weekend, there's no way you could get a single seat on a flight, let alone enough for all of us."

"Ok, short version. Kurt and Blaine accidentally auditioned for a concert being held on Monday night. It's being written by Stephen Schwartz and directed by Julie Taymor. Most of the cast is either sick or out of the country being trapped by weather. Our boys convinced Julie Taymor that they knew a couple of groups that were not only amazingly talented but actually capable of learning an entire show in three days and knocking it out of the park. Since there are no flights available, someone, I think it was Mr Schwartz, used some pull and , get this, we are flying to NYC in Donald Trump's private jet! All of us! It's huge apparently. So, no questions now, save them for the plane."

Mercedes looked at the startled faces in front of her.

"Well, come on, get packing!"

Santana looked at Steffi, nodded to herself and went to start talking to her mom.

Steffi sat still, wondering if it was actually safe for her to fly so close to her baby's birth.

Quinn sat looking into space thoughtfully.  
>Finally, she murmured something softly to herself.<p>

"...Trumpet jet?"  
>.<p>

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"This isn't exactly what I had in my mind's eye when your mom suggested we take a relaxing break in New York you know!"

.

Blaine turned back to see Kurt puffing slightly as he caught up to him.

"And could you walk a bit faster please? Some of us non-super-powered mortals are still able to keep up with you. Even if we do have to almost jog, in these shoes, and these pants, and down Fifth Avenue."

Blaine's face fell slightly.  
>"Sorry babe, I forgot. I'll make sure to walk beside you from now on."<p>

"You don't have to walk beside me, just remember that not all of us have two hearts and the powers of Spiderman."

"Do you not want me beside you?"

"I love having you next to me Blaine, it's just..."

"What?"

"Oh, alright. Your ass in those jeans is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Satisfied?"

"Mr Hummel! I'm shocked. Do you treat every boy you meet like some sort of sex toy?"

"Walk. Now. We only have an hour till we need to be back at Radio City."

"I could go do this myself Kurt, and just meet you there."

"Brittany's text said 'you guys' Blaine, plural! 'You guys have to go get the box before tonight or it will be bad' is what she sent."

"Well we could call and ask her..."

"Blaine, it's Brittany, she probably can't even remember what she said, let alone why."

"Oh great, they've got random searches going on again."

"Blaine, it's an important building, there are Federal Courtrooms in there, as well as our lawyers' offices. Just go line up and we'll get through as fast as we can."

"I just..."

"Blaine, it's almost the fourth, of course the city is going to be on a heightened state of alert. "

"Oh alright, I understand, I just don't want to see that sad look in Julie's eyes when we get back late from lunch."

"Blaine, we have songs to learn, two solo's each, and a couple of duets, not to mention our parts in the group numbers, plus we're the only cast she has until the rest of the gang arrive this afternoon. She got that music emailed off to Mr Berry's office OK didn't she?"

"Yes Kurt, and Hiram has already printed out about thirty copies for everyone to read on the plane and start learning."

"I can't believe Donald Trump just lent us his plane like that. Now he's stuck in LA until we get it back to him."

"Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to stress out about meeting him for lunch today."

.

"Hold the lift!" Kurt shouted, but no one in the elevator moved to hold it.

The doors stopped moving and the passengers inside looked around them as the lift dinged softly to itself repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, "Kurt sighed as he and Blaine moved into the half empty elevator.

One of the women on board had the grace to blush slightly and admit that she hadn't pushed the 'door open' button.

"I wasn't actually talking to you, but apology accepted." Kurt smiled at her icily.

"Ouch, Kurt? You are in a mood today aren't you? What's wrong? Please tell me."

_._

_Just nervous about this damn box. I don't want to think about the future Blaine, all I can think of is losing everything that I hold dear._

.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind and let Kurt lean into his strength.

_._

_We should probably be talking aloud my darling you realise? I think people are starting to worry we might be about to make love in the elevator or something_

_Blaine! How could you... oh my God! Blaine, did you mean to send me that image?_

.

Blaine stood up and blushed furiously

"Sorry, so ...um, "He stammered aloud, "I forgot where we were."

_._

_Kurt! Kurt! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... Oh God, I'm so sorry if I scared you or..._

_Shut up Blaine._

_Sorry, I just..._

_Blaine, you find me sexy, you want to do things like that with me. I understand._

_I'm just so..._

_Blaine, shut up._

_I realise you're not ready to go..._

_Blaine!_

_What?_

_This is what I was thinking about...__**/image/**_

_...oh_

_I'm still not ready for that, but..._

_Kurt?_

_I think, tonight, I might be ready if we wanted to try...this...__**/image/**_

_... ... ...meep_

_Blaine?_

_Kurt, when the doors open, you will continue to stand in front of me until everyone else leaves and then we will walk out together. You will transfer your messenger bag to the other shoulder and hold it in such a way that it juts out a little. We will then walk swiftly to the nearest bathroom where you will wait outside for me, ok?_

_Why?_

.

Blaine moved his hips an inch closer to Kurt.

_._

_Oh. OH! Blaine!_

_So... it's a plan?_

_Don't speak my love_

.

Kurt smiled and turned to Blaine, kissing him soundly.

_._

_Kurt!_

_Glamour remember? They'll not see us as long as we are careful and still._

.

Blaine deepened the kiss.

_._

_Oh my God, this is amazing. I never realised that telepathy means I can kiss you like this, and still be able to tell you how crazy mad in love with you I am while I'm doing it!_

_You have always told me that while we kiss, Blaine, even before the telepathy._

.

The elevator reached the correct floor and the boys joined the flow out the doors as they headed for the lawyers offices.

Several minutes later they were in the offices of the senior partner, watching him open the safe he kept hidden in his office.  
>Sir Henry turned back to the boys, holding a small wooden box, sealed with an iron lock.<p>

"Do you have the key?" Blaine asked.

"No sir, Lord Tubbington told me that you would be able to open it. I... if you require a locksmith I could arrange..."

Kurt smiled to himself.  
>"It's alright Sir Henry, I think Lord T was assuming that I would work some mojo on it."<p>

"Oh, so you have the gift then sir? I was wondering. Lord Tubbington didn't have a chance to really explain..."

"Have you ever met Lord Tubbington?" Blaine had to know.

"No sir, I have not had that privilege. But I am well aware that he is not... conventional. You are aware that Lord Tubbington was the founding partner in this firm, were you not. He gave the original finances to my great-great grandfather."

"So you know..."

"That magic is real? Yes sir. Judging by the stories that are appearing more frequently on the news, I suspect that I will soon no longer be the only member of this firm aware of that fact."

.

Kurt's phone began to ring, and he moved to one side to answer it.

"Ms Taymor, I'm so sorry, Blaine and I will be..."

"Shut up Kurt, it's Quinn. This is important."

"Quinn? What do you want? Shouldn't you be on the plane already? You'll be here in less than three..."

"Kurt! Brittany was rambling to the others as usual, and she said something. She tried to call you but she forgot to charge her phone last night and it's dead. Then she said she'd just have to tell you when she got there."

"Well, that's ok then..."

"Kurt! Before she distracted herself she had been getting quite upset. She was saying something about 'I have to tell Kurt he and Blaine have to get them all out in ten minutes'. I don't know what the heck is going on, but I'm pretty sure that if Brittany says something like that, people better listen."

"What else did she say?" Kurt was feeling an icy hand around his heart suddenly.

"She was talking about marsh-mellows and that led into something about campfires and that led to Fourth of July barbeques and then she started to get upset about you and Blaine and some sort of giant fireworks display and people got hurt and then Santana distracted her and it all went straight out of her mind."

"Ok Quinn, I suppose you're going to want an explan..."

"Tell me later Kurt, by my watch you have less than eight minutes. I'll see you in a few hours, I hope."

.

Quinn hung up.  
>Kurt spun around, "Blaine!"<p>

Blaine looked at him and rocked back on his heels as Kurt dumped all the information Quinn had just relayed straight into his mind.

"Sir Henry, "Kurt asked, "You need to evacuate this office. I suspect you may need to evacuate the entire building. How long will that take?"

"Our record for the last evacuation drill was a tad over nine minutes."

"Do it faster. Where is the fire alarm?"

"The alarm control board is in the..."

"Never mind, found it. Get yourself and your staff outside, now!"

The alarms began to pulse even before Kurt had finished speaking.

"Come this way Mr Anderson, Mr Hum..."

"We'll be fine Sir Henry, go, now!"

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes as the slender diva sat on the desk.

"Hold me Blaine, I'm going to need your strength, and those Timelord senses, ok?"

"I've got you."

Blaine wrapped his arms around the boy and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later all his senses were taken from his control.  
>He felt as if he were on the most terrifying roller-coaster ride of his life as his point of view spun and rushed through the entire building.<br>Electrical switchboards, computer farms, air-conditioning plants all glowed with an eerie glow that he identified (through Kurt's senses) as 'safe'. There were two concentrations of 'wrongness', one near the roof, the other in a storage closet on the ground floor. He felt his 'hand' reach out and do something to the rooftop device.

Blaine gasped as he entered his body again.

"You take the roof. Just get it outside and as far away as possible. It's a bomb. I've disabled the booby trap someone left, otherwise it would blow the instant it was moved. I'll go get the ground floor one, it's going to blow in six minutes."

"We should just get out Kurt, everyone is..."

"No they aren't Blaine, just go! Six minutes is plenty of time, I've saved the world in four minutes before this you know."

Blaine smiled despite his fear.  
>"I've seen that video."<p>

Kurt kissed him quickly and ran out the door.

"Look for a gray box, up against the elevator shaft. Be careful! I love you."

Blaine ran.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Despite being absolutely enormous, for a private jet, with the Warblers, New Directions and an assortment of adults on board, the plane was actually a little cramped.  
>Everyone had a seat at least, but it was definitely a tight squeeze.<p>

Even Brittany's cat had squeezed on board. The large cat and Steffi's much smaller kitten were both sitting in a carrying cage, wedged beneath one of the sofas, looking miserable and annoyed.

Artie and Steffi were sharing said large sofa. Artie had already succeeded in making Steffi squirt water out her nose with his joke telling and she had in turn started making fun of his disability.

Artie loved it.

Usually people were so careful, so damned 'correct' or 'kind' around him. The stream of good natured abuse coming from the feisty Steffi was actually a wonderful change. When Steffi realised that Artie was actually responding to her she doubled the inventiveness of the jokes.

"You better hope this baby doesn't decide to get born on the tarmac in NYC, Wheels. If I need to steal your chair I'll have to get Puckerman to fold you in half and stick you in the overhead locker."

.

Dr Lopez was sitting nearby, chatting quietly to the Andersons. Burt and Carole were currently smiling at each other as they looked out the windows and marvelled at how quickly their plans for 'a quiet week at home' had changed.

Paul Karofsky sat by himself, reading a book and occasionally looking up to smile fondly at his son.

.

The members of New Directions and the Warblers were also looking at Dave Karofsky. The looks ranged from borderline hostility to total confusion. Only Burt Hummel's insistence that Kurt and Blaine had demanded Dave's presence on the flight had silenced the hostile members of the crowd.

The fact that Rachel and Mercedes, universally acknowledged to be Kurt's 'Diva Squad' had not only been polite but had even seemed glad to see the boy had confused them more.

Dave stood and made an announcement soon after the start of the flight, very simply and eloquently explaining his situation.

"Guys, can I have a few seconds. I need to do two things. First, I need to apologise to those of you that I've hurt or made feel less than you are over the last few years. I can't ever make it up to you I know, nor can I ever even begin to repay you for what you did for me while I was in the hospital. I can't make excuses for my behaviour either, but perhaps I can make an explanation, so that you can better understand that what I did was about me. None of it was your fault or anything to do with your worthiness to be who you are. You all know that the person I targeted the most was Kurt, and he and I have been working through that. I threatened him, yes, I didn't really mean to say it, but the words were said and I can't take them back. For many months Kurt and his boyfriend Blaine were the only ones who knew why I had such terrible anger issues. Instead of using this knowledge to hurt me, or punish me, they tried to help. And they did help. Just before the attack on Mrs Hummel, I was able to tell someone else, thanks to Kurt. I almost died...no, apparently I did die from my injuries, but Kurt and all of you brought me back. Now, none of you are friends of mine on Facebook, and we all know why. Two nights ago I made some announcements on my Facebook page and shared my secrets with my friends. I now have two friends left on Facebook, one old, one new. I'd like to introduce all of you to someone some of you already know well, but we discussed this and agreed that we should make a formal announcement of our relationship to... clear the air so to speak. So... the second thing I need to do is... introduce my boyfriend. Jeff, could you...?"

.

.

Jeff rose from where the Warbler boys had been sitting, chatting to the New Directions crew and slipped his arm around Dave's waist.

"As soon as you tell me your profile name you'll have three Facebook friends Dave." Nick called out smiling at his best friend Jeff. Nick had known what was growing between the two boys since the day Dave had woken up.

"Make that four..five!" Mercedes and Rachel talked over each other and broke up giggling.

Dave's Facebook was overflowing with new friend requests a few minutes later, after someone pointed out that Donald Trump's jet just had to have a laptop or a computer somewhere.

.

The boys had almost wept when the flight attendant had shown them the assorted gaming consoles Mr Trump had installed on the plane in the event that he had young guests or members of his staff travelling with children.

.

Brittany and Santana had talked with the boys for a while, then gone off to chat to the girls. At some point Quinn was listening intently to something Brittany was saying. When the ditzy blonde began to get upset, Santana distracted her by starting a sing-a-long. Quinn stood up and made a quick call on her phone.

.

A few minutes later the whole plane was singing one of the group numbers chosen for the concert. Jeff was trying to teach Dave how to dance to it, and the laughter at his efforts was warm and friendly, not cold and malicious.

Quinn smiled to herself as she made a start on a book of crossword puzzled she had brought along to amuse herself with, her friends understood being different.

Brittany, Santana and Rachel moved over to join the dance, with Brittany taking a moment to blow a kiss to Lord Tubbington as he glared out from his cat cage.

.

A few seconds later Brittany stumbled and fell to her knees.

Everyone stared at her. Both groups knew one thing for certain, Brittany Pierce never stumbles.

Brittany's face was pale, her eyes darted from side to side like a trapped beast in a cage.

.

"No... No... No I won't... you can't... I won't... you can't make me remember."

"Brittany? Are you alright?" Dr Lopez rose and moved to rise.

Brittany screamed.

The stricken dancer turned to the cat sitting under the sofa and reached out a hand.

"Lord Tubbington... it hurts... it burns... the flames... I can feel the flames."

The cat yowled like a demon from hell.

.

Brittany's voice was soft and flat, flatter than Quinn had ever heard it. The plane fell silent as she whispered words over and over again. Was Brittany... reciting a poem, or... perhaps a song lyric?

A voice hissed form somewhere. No-one recognised it.  
>"Rachel! Write it down, before we forget it, write it down!"<p>

Rachel turned from where she stood watching Santana try to hold Brittany and comfort her and she reached for her bag.

Brittany stopped talking and started to sob quietly into Santana's shoulder.

Rachel shook her head as if she were trying to remember something.

The voice hissed again.  
>"Damn, I've forgotten it too. Too damned slow!"<p>

Quinn looked down at her book, and at the words she had written inside the cover.

She rose and knelt next to Brittany and Santana, her back resting against the sofa next to where Steffi's swollen legs were resting on a stool.

.

"It's alright Lord Tubbington, I caught it."

There was an intake of breath from the cage under the sofa.

"Read it to me...please"

Quinn's eyes widened as she realised her wild stab in the dark had connected with a target after all.  
>She read Brittany's words to him.<p>

"Oh damnation, another prophecy!" Lord Tubbington swore under his breath.

"Miss Fabray... please, get me out of this damned cage. All hell is about to break loose and I really need to not be confined by bars, especially steel bars."

Quinn reached out and began to unlock the cage. The words were certainly upsetting, but perhaps this...cat... whatever it really was, knew something she didn't.  
>She looked down at her book and repeated the words Brittany had just spoken.<p>

.

.

"One shall feel the touch of Terror... One shall taste the kiss of Flame... Her mask of Lies shall start to crumble...When Love Sets Fire to the Rain."


	40. Life Begins

**A/N: As promised, not too long a wait I hope?**  
><strong>Now, how to read it - it's going to be a bit sketchy unless you remember to visualise everything. It's like the fast-cut action sequences in big blockbuster movies. <strong>

**The point of view will be flitting back and forth between various locations, and the timing will be all over the place (going into flashback, then the present, then the past again, then the future) - basically it's all happening at about the same time, give or take a few.**

**For those who have been badgering me to tell them what Carole and Burt wished for themselves, here's a taste, but they actually wished something for EACH OTHER instead. (one really big overarching wish each) - like Pang says, lots of love to power it all then push "I'm feeling lucky" several million times.**

**Reviews keep me going, and you know there is more to go here, we still have a concert to go ahead with (and you KNOW the Show must go on!)**

**Oh, and expect a HUGE talky talky scene coming up soon - let's just say...those in the know at the begining of this chapter are no longer alone by the end.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or Donald Trump. I don't fly a plane so expect me to have gotten the details wrong there too. (oh, and to the cute Dutch boy... I totally agree with you about Blaine's ass)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.  
>Blaine Anderson ran as he had never run before.<p>

.

Up stairways, down corridors, he was guided only by his memory of the roller-coaster ride through the building he had been taken on by Kurt's powers.

Kurt.

Blaine couldn't afford to think about Kurt. He had to trust that the slender boy who had his heart in his keeping would be safe. Who had both his hearts.

Blaine knew that even as he ran to the rooftop to remove the bomb, Kurt was running to the ground floor to disarm the second device.

Blaine could only hope both of them got there in time.

As he took a shortcut through a large open plan office area he saw an unbelievable sight, two workers were ignoring the pulsing alarms and continuing to type away at their keyboards.

.

"Hey!" Blaine yelled, "What the hell are you still doing here?"

One of the workers, the woman looked up and frowned at him.  
>"I'm working. I have to get this finished by two and I'm not going to let some stupid drill ruin my chance at a partnership."<p>

"It's not a drill!" Blaine shouted at her, allowing the magic to seep into his voice, "Get out now, get moving now, LEAVE NOW!"

The two workers stood like robots and ran for the fire exit.

Blaine shook his head and ran in the opposite direction.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Pang was enjoying the Hummel's pool.

He was lounging on the surface of the water, in his Dragon form, listening to the soothing jazz that the radio had suggested he might enjoy.

Pang was glad he had offered to stay and look after Dog for Dave. Besides, he intended to go see the concert anyway. In cloud form it would take him only a few minutes to cover the distance to New York. He was looking forward to the visit actually, he hadn't been to New York since they opened the Chrysler Building. He wondered how changed it really was. He knew that it was all skyscrapers and busy, busy businessmen and women now, but had the essential essence of the city changed that much?

Dog lay sleeping under his favourite Sycamore.

The music was interrupted by a news bulletin

Pang straightened up as he heard the address mentioned in the story.

_...nesses at the scene describe an orderly evacuation of surrounding buildings is continuing. The fire has so far been confined to the original site of the explosion. Reports of a strange object seen in the sky moments before the first explosion are yet to be confirmed. Witnesses to that explosion say they saw..._

Pang got out of the pool suddenly, the splash woke Dog.

"Dog, come, we must go to New York. We are needed."

A few seconds later Dog and Dragon had merged to become a grey/white cloud which streaked off in the direction of the city at almost supersonic speed.

The radio continued to broadcast the news until it realised that everyone had left.

It decided to turn itself off to save its batteries.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

On the plane everyone sat very still as they watched Brittany sit against the sofa's base.

Santana had pulled the girl onto her lap and was singing quietly to her as she stroked her long blonde hair.

Brittany's cat had been let out of its cage by Quinn who still sat on the floor next to Brittany and Santana.

Unexpectedly, instead of bolting for a place to hide from all the confusion, the cat had leapt into Brittany's lap and begun to purr.  
>The sound had been so loud and so strong that many of the people, those closest to the sofa, had felt their entire bodies vibrating.<br>They felt, calmer now, more relaxed.

No one noticed that six people among the group weren't looking at the scene in front of the sofa. They were looking at the small kitten who had been sharing the cage with Lord Tubbington and which was now sitting on Steffi's lap.

The kitten was looking back at them, almost as if she was... talking to them.

.

Dave, Jeff, Elaine, John, Burt and Carole listened to Meggle as she relayed what had just occurred.

"Kurt needs us, "Dave whispered to Jeff.

"Why is everyone so calm all of a sudden?" John Anderson asked his wife softly.

"I think Jeff has taken charge." Elaine replied as she nodded across the cabin to where Jeff and Dave stood together. Jeff's eyes were glowing ever so faintly.

Carole was trying to calm Burt down.  
>"It's going to be fine Burt. The boys can handle almost anything. We'll be there soon, just stay calm."<p>

"My heart is fine Carole. I just need to be there. Kurt and Blaine need us. I'm going to go talk to the pilot."

"Burt, you can't..."

"I need to do something."

.

Quinn looked at her watch.  
>Since the moment Brittany had said Kurt and Blaine 'had ten minutes to get everyone out' she had been checking it every few seconds.<p>

There were ten seconds remaining

.

"Lord Tubbington, make it go away. Make the fire go away." Brittany was sobbing into Santana's chest as the Latina girl continued to stroke her hair and sing to her in Spanish.

Brittany's eyes cleared for a second and she moved to be able to look into Santana's eyes.

Santana stopped in mid note.

.

"Santana, I love you." Brittany whispered, sounding more sure of herself than Quinn had ever heard before.

.

Quinn looked at her watch.

Oh, well that was anticlimactic; it was now ten minutes and forty seven seconds since Brittany had...

.

All hell broke loose.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was getting winded.

He was fit, thanks to Coach Sylvester.  
>Even though it was many months since he had left the Cheerios he had continued the fitness program the scary woman had designed for him, although perhaps he had slackened off from the killer pace just a tad.<p>

Kurt sent his powers out ahead of him as he ran.  
>Blaine would have to deal with the rooftop bomb in his own way, Kurt thought to himself.<p>

He wasn't that concerned about Blaine's safety. He was a Timelord after all, and a Dragon.

.

Kurt had taken Pang aside a few days before and had a discussion with him, in private, about what that meant.

Dragons were very hard to hurt.  
>Timelords, according to the TV series, were almost impossible to kill.<p>

Kurt hoped Blaine wouldn't change too much if he did...regenerate.

Kurt hoped Blaine wouldn't miss him too much if...when Kurt died.

.

Kurt tried to picture where he needed to go to get to the bomb's location before it blew. It was in a storage closet on the ground floor, right next to the stairs.  
>It was on the ground floor.<p>

He was fourteen floors up.

Kurt arrived at the empty stairwell and leapt over the rail.

As he fell his 'machine' senses found the device and began to examine it.

.

Damn, these people were evil.  
>It was actually three separate devices, in one casing.<br>A high explosive designed to drop the building where it stood was connected to a bomb obviously designed to damage people. A smaller charge was buried inside a container of nails and shards of metal, a shrapnel bomb.

Hidden almost as an afterthought Kurt found a third set of explosives, these were incendiary devices, times to go off after the first two, so that fire would rage over a scene of devastation.

Kurt felt his anger growing.

He was going to make sure this sort of thing never happened again.

If _Faerie_ was going to end the world he knew and remake it into something else unrecognisable, he vowed he would make sure that it was a world where evil b-bastards like the one who planted this bomb would never, ever be able to do it again.

Kurt sensed the ground about to slam into him and hurriedly flexed... whatever it was he had discovered allowed him to fly and stopped his plummeting descent mere inches from the ground.

.

Well... that would have been embarrassing.

Kurt imagined meeting his mother in heaven, or wherever people went if they went somewhere, and having to admit that he had been unable to stop the explosion because he killed himself in a fourteen story fall, despite the fact that he could fly.

Embarrassing wouldn't even scratch the surface of that one.

.

The closet was locked.  
>Kurt frowned at the lock and it popped open beneath his hands.<br>Now... where was...ah, there!  
>Kurt didn't need to look at his watch, he could sense the timing mechanism of the bomb.<br>Damn, this was going to be tricky.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine found the door to the roof access and looked for the elevator shaft.

There it was, a metal box, looking like it was welded to the side of the shaft.

_._

_Kurt? Can you talk now?_

_What? Blaine! I'm kind of busy here!_

_I've found it, but it's welded to the shaft._

_Damn! Well, just tear it off then, use those sexy muscles._

_Won't that set it off?_

_No, it shouldn't. I managed to convince it to turn that booby trap off at least._

_How are you doing?_

_Oh... you know...same old...can't complain... Blaine! How the hell do you think I'm doing, I'm arguing with a bomb that has enough high explosive in it to level the entire block, let alone this building._

_Is it fighting you?_

_No, it likes me, but it doesn't understand how to do what I want it to do. Imagine me asking you to go have sex with Rachel. You want to do anything I ask you to do, but you just ...can't stomach it, it goes against your basic nature, so I have to physically disarm it as I go._

_What?_

_Kurt talky-talk no work Blaine so Kurt get all hands-on and poke big bang-bang with pliers._

_Sarcasm? At a time like this?_

_Every day is an opportunity for sarcasm Blaine_

_I thought that was fashion?_

_It can be both Blaine, some of us can multitask_

_If you can't stop it, I want you to get out Kurt, you have to promise me..._

_You go play with your own bomb, Eyebrows, and let me have fun with mine_

_Just... just be careful_

_Always. You be careful too, your bomb is mostly shrapnel and incendiaries. Get it a long way away as fast as you can, and be careful too. I love you Blaine_

_Always_

.

Blaine frowned at the device welded to the building.  
>He was worried about setting it off with too much force, despite what Kurt said.<br>He tried to think through his growing catalogue of super powers. Something he had must be more subtle than brute force? Surely...

Earth Dragon. Earth and Water.

Steel was a kind of earth, wasn't it?  
>It was originally made of rocks.<br>Iron ore.  
>Iron.<br>And iron that came into contact with water...

Blaine glared at the welds and concentrated hard.  
>Reddish brown patches of rust began to appear on the surface of the elevator column and... on the welds too.<p>

A few seconds later the box tore away like a wet tissue.

Blaine looked around, he was surrounded by buildings, some lower than the one he was on, some taller.

Oh well, he thought, it's New York. People will have seen stranger things.

.

The Dragon took the box in its jaws and streaked into the sky, straight up.

The people evacuating from the building, and the passersby on the streets looked up as someone spotted it and shouted.

It was strange, scary, unfamiliar, unusual, impossible...

.

It was... beautiful.

.

The Dragon tossed something shiny into the air and wrapped its coils around it, as if shielding the object from the people on the ground, or vice versa.  
>The bomb exploded in a ball of fire and the people on the ground blinked in surprise.<br>The Dragon was gone.

No one noticed the small figure falling the two hundred and fifty feet to the ground.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt had almost finished.

.

He had successfully disarmed the high explosive, and his powers had allowed him to remove the other charge from its bag of deadly rain without the explosion that such and act should have triggered.  
>The incendiary was proving more difficult.<br>In fact...

Kurt realised that he was out of time.

.

He stood up and sprinted for the door, his powers straining as they tried to slow the progress of the timer for just a few extra seconds and also set off the sprinkler system.

.

The fire would start, he couldn't prevent that, but he was damned if he wouldn't make things as hard for it as he could.  
>The soaking wet Kurt was almost to the fire exit when he felt a burst of terror from Blaine overwhelm him.<p>

He felt pain, heat.  
>He felt his form changing.<br>He saw a breathtakingly beautiful view of the city.

Fire surrounded Kurt as the other bomb blew him through the door.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Ten minutes and forty seven seconds.

All hell broke loose...

.

Brittany screamed as she saw or felt something that terrified her.

Lord Tubbington shouted to Santana and Quinn.  
>"Hold her. Let her feel your love. It's the only thing that will stop her going mad again."<p>

The assembled choir members gasped in confusion as they heard the cat speak, but the members of New Directions moved without hesitation and piled onto the girls on the floor in a massive group hug.

Rachel and Quinn started to sing.  
>They both started to sing the same song.<p>

.

As the sound of Simon and Garfunkel's classic song of comfort and support was taken up by the New Directions, Dave screamed too.

.

His body contorted as he gazed blindly, obviously seeing something on one else could.

"Kurt!" He hissed, "I can't help him this time, but I can help the others. Jeff, hold me!"

Jeff reached out to embrace his boyfriend as huge shrapnel wounds, massive bruises and hideous burns appeared on his body.  
>Dave's wings shimmered into sight, reaching out and touching everyone nearby with their softness.<br>Those who weren't fixated on the singing 'puppy pile' gasped in wonder.

Paul Karofsky began to pray as he wept at the beautiful creature that was his son.

.

Jeff's eyes and skin glowed brighter and brighter until the silvery light was almost pure white.  
>Beneath his hands Dave's wounds began to fade, only to be replaced by more.<br>The cycle continued.

.

Carole turned to where Burt was holding the intercom and talking to the pilot.  
>"The boys...they need us. Use the wish I made for you Burt. We need to get there now."<p>

"You go use my wish to help the others." Burt's voice was gruff with worry.

Carole nodded and ran to where Dave and Jeff were locked in an embrace while the other Warblers looked on in confusion and fear.

"Ok boys, let's all hold on shall we. To the plane, and to each other. Dave, Jeff, you keep doing what you are doing. I know you're both strong enough for this. Guys, let's all sing together, Brittany needs our love too, ok?"

Somehow Carole's words had an effect.  
>Dave seemed less bowed by the pain, Jeff's face seemed less strained.<p>

As the entire plane began to sing, everyone felt just that little bit... better, that little bit more loved.

They felt that they could do anything, tackle anything while Carole believed in them.

.

Burt listened to the pilot.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're still about an hour and a half away from New York at least I can't..."

"You listen to me young woman, "Burt growled, "And hold on to your controls. I have had enough of never being there to help the people I love when they need me to be there, and thanks to my wife, I now have a way to stop feeling that helpless ever again."

Burt reached out and grasped the edge of the window he was sitting next to.

"Everyone hold on!"

He closed his eyes and...reached.

.

The plane ceased to exist.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine was lying on a... a car?

It's mangled roof and smashed windshield showed him that it was definitely the object that had broken his fall.

He sat up, there was no pain.  
>No, he had a sharp object digging into his back pocket.<br>He pulled out the wooden box of prophecies, frowned at it and put it back.

He looked at his body and saw... fading sparks of silver and gold as his skin finished its renewal.

Oh, he thought, I really am a Timelord after all.

Worriedly he leapt off the car and ran to the windows of the building beside it, trying to see his reflection.  
>He hadn't changed, he was still the same, just... healed.<br>Oh good.

...A little taller might have been nice though.

Blaine tried to get his bearings.  
>He heard fire trucks approaching, car alarms going off, the sounds of people screaming, the roar of explosions and the sounds of falling glass.<p>

That way then.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The building he and Kurt had tried to save was burning.

.

The people around the building were a mix of injured and those non-injured who were trying to help.

The windows had blown out, and debris and broken glass had wreaked havoc with the crowd.

Blaine spotted a figure in a fireman's uniform lying just inside the doorway of the building, flames were only a few feet away but he seemed untouched by them.  
>Blaine's keen senses noted the breathing apparatus still hanging from the unconscious man's hip.<br>He shook his head in judgement and took a deep breath.  
>As he carried the man from the building he looked over to the injured lying on the street.<p>

Camera crews were already on the scene, and some of the more aggressive reporters were actually getting in the way of the paramedics who were trying to stop anyone else from dying.

A woman in the crowd finally snapped and dragged the cameraman out of the way, berating him for his lack of common sense and compassion.

.

Blaine carried the injured fire fighter to the ambulances.

Kurt! Where was Kurt?

Blaine reached out with his mind and searched for his partner's voice.

_._

_Kurt? KURT!_

.

He turned to look at the building as a fresh spout of flame licked from an upper window.

"Kurt!" He screamed.

"I'm here."  
>Kurt's voice had never sounded more precious to Blaine's ears as he spotted the slender singer wrapped up in a huge blanket, his hair looking as if he had been getting it blow dried at the salon rather than being caught up in an act of terrorism.<p>

Kurt looked down at the blanket.

"Like it? It's all the fashion at these events you know."

"Kurt, what happened to your cloth..."

"They found me in the alley behind the building, my clothes were burnt away, even my shoes, but I haven't got a scratch on me, and not even a first degree scorch mark. I have a horrible feeling that I may be the new 'miracle cure' story on the news tonight."

.

Blaine looked around him as tears of relief filled his eyes.  
>He stopped as he noticed something...odd.<p>

"I don't think so Kurt. Look!"

All around them the victims of flying debris or raging flames were sitting up and crying out in wonderment.  
>Camera crews were documenting people healing before their eyes.<p>

"Can you hear...singing?" Blaine asked Kurt.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The air-traffic controller at La Guardia had been rerouting flights for the last few minutes, ever since word of another terrorist attack had been sent out by the authorities.

.

"Flight DT347 from Lima, Ohio, please be advised that you have been re-routed to Trenton, landing at Mercer County Airport, due to the closure of all New York airports. Please give me your current location and vector heading."

"La Guardia control...um... look out your window."

.

The controller rose from his seat in the tower and looked outside.

.

"We are currently awaiting someone to open gate one for us...um... I'm not quite sure how but... we're here already."

.

The controller knew that Donald Trump was above certain minor regulations, but this... he never realised that he could just ignore the laws of physics like this.

.

He was going to have to start watching his wife's taped episodes of 'The Apprentice'.


	41. Shooting For The Stars

_**A/N: Well, it's been a week of events all right. Work/Life balance is so unbalanced it ain't funny. I've been trying to find time to edit this, and never been able to devote long enough to get the thing under control. Finally it started to gel. It's longer than any other chapter, but please bear with me. Alos, please don't hate me. There is a bit of a cliffhanger (well...ok then, a HUGE cliffhanger I suppose, but I'll try to get the next bit down and out asap)**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews etc, it make my day and makes writng the next bits seem easier too (hint hint) - plus I've been getting lots of long, detailed, well thought out reviews and messages, which means people are really thinking about things (more than I ever do I suspect!)**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, Donald Trump, any news reporter or network TV shows or even Dog of my own.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Julie Taymor had come this close to cancelling the concert altogether.

.

Her two stars were late, and refusing to answer their phones. Only when one of the Radio City staff burst in on her and the orchestra as they ran through some of the bridging music and informed them about what was going on downtown did she realise that the boys might have bigger concerns to deal with this afternoon than being half a beat out at the beginning of the second duet.

When she found out from one of the doormen that Blaine had enquired about the fasted way to get to their lawyers' offices from the theatre, and that the address he had given was the same place as the site of the latest terrorist bombing, she stopped berating 'incompetent amateur school kids' in her mind and began to pray that those two sweet boys were safe and well.

Twenty Eight minutes after Kurt and Blaine had been due to arrive back for their afternoon rehearsal, a huge bus pulled up outside the front door and the boys got off. They were not alone.

"Hi Ms Taymor, sorry we're late. We kind of got blown up a little. You'll see it all on the news I expect." Blaine seemed older, more mature, as if he had faced something profoundly life changing and come out the other side, stronger.

Kurt was also different. He seemed, younger. His movement, which she had always noted was graceful, now possessed a fluidity that brought a rush of excitement to her eyes. She loved working with dancers, and Kurt seemed even more settled into his body than he had this morning. (And that was saying something, because he had already moved like a dancer.)

"We might have just made it on time Ms Taymor, but I had to go clothes shopping. Not because I needed a new outfit!" Kurt tried to forestall her frown, "Although I did. Literally. I sort of had all my clothing burnt off me by a bomb. I had to borrow some clothes from the firemen who were putting the building out. When I spotted the Marc Jacobs store as we were driving here I may or may not have hijacked the coach and forced it to stop for an emergency fashionectomy."

Julie took in the outfit Kurt was wearing, it was all Marc Jacobs, and all brand new. She was no fashion addict, but she knew her designers. She also knew her prices.

"How much did that whole ensemble cost Kurt? I know that shirt is retailing for two thousand dollars, and those shoes have to be worth at least five thousand. How on earth did you pay for that?"

"Blaine had to, I suppose I was lucky, but I actually left my wallet in my dressing room when we rushed out of here this morning."

Blaine waved a card at her, "Amex! Never leave home without it!"

Julie had only seen an American Express card that colour once before. Warren Buffet had payed for a dinner she had been a guest at and she had asked about the unusual colour.

How on earth did a high school kid from Ohio have a limitless Amex card, and in his own name at that?

She began to realise that she hadn't really asked any questions or thought anything more about these boys from the moment she had heard their incredible talent.

.

"Ms Taymor, we know we're late, but we thought you might forgive us if we brought you a present. We didn't have time to wrap them, but may we give you... the New Directions and the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

Julie noticed the crowd of teenagers still getting off the bus, as well as a few adults, a ...a kid in a wheelchair, a Goth girl who seemed about to explode from excess pregnancy and...two cats?

"I thought their flight wasn't able to get in until..."

"We...we had one hell of a tailwind." Elaine Anderson smiled at her as she introduced herself.

"You could say that again, "A tall muscular teen with a Mohawk muttered as he checked out the scenery. "I'm still wondering where our luggage got to."

"I'm still wondering where our plane got to," A tall, handsome Asian boy, named Wes apparently, joked as he shook her hand and introduced her to his friend David, also tall and handsome but this time black.

.

"Ms Taymor, I just want to say, this is the best moment of my life so far, and I will prove your faith in us is justified."

A short Jewish girl with a loud voice was shaking her hand now.  
>Julie stared, with those eyes, that skin tone... she could have been Idina's daughter.<p>

She was certainly striking, perhaps not pretty in a 'mass marketing' sense but... stunningly, beautifully 'alive'.

"You're Rachel Berry." Julie Taymor smiled as she shook her hand.

"You...you know my name?"

"After Kurt and Blaine told me stories about you all yesterday, and I agreed to put you in my concert, I thought I might do a little online research. Of course, I probably should have done that before I said yes, but after watching some of your performance videos I was relieved I had definitely made the right decision."

"You saw me...you... I was singing and you saw m..."

"Breathe in and out alternately Rachel, you can do it."  
>Kurt's words sounded sarcastic, but the gentle hand he placed in the small of Rachel's back showed his genuine concern for the girl.<p>

"I saw several of your group videos, both of the New Directions and the Warblers, and also a few solo recordings. I think you'll be surprised at some of the changes I've already made to the show after seeing them. Plus, some of you may be pleased by a few of the surprise guests who are appearing with you. I haven't even told Kurt and Blaine some of the names."

Mercedes smiled as she heard that. She was busy helping Quinn get Steffi sitting comfortably.

Julie leant forward to whisper something in Rachel's ear.

"What! You're kidding me!" Rachel positively shrieked.

"Well, I saw you sing it already Rachel, and I'm sure she'll enjoy singing it as a duet with you."

.

.

In a short while everyone was settled and the rehearsal began.

Julie abandoned her idea of working on the original material written by Stephen Schwartz. Most of it had already been assigned to the two boys who, truth be told, were almost up to perfect performance standard after only a few hours of rehearsal. The original songs could be played with in the morning.

"Ok guys, listen up. Now I'm sure you've heard a little about the show, but probably not the details, so I'm going to run through the outline briefly, explain a little of the housekeeping stuff and then I plan to open the stage to you guys and let you show me what you've got."

Julie was in her element now, standing under the lights and feeling the powerful beast of the show begin to stir with excitement as she took the reins in her hand.

"Ok, firstly, this is a concert, minimal scenery and lighting, a little costume and makeup but no huge budget. It's all about the story telling and the music and dance. As for story, we've had to alter Stephen's and my original concept a bit. Two days just isn't enough time to do what we had written, not even for talented freaks like you. Originally this concert was going to be a sort of sequel to Wicked. Elpheba's daughter was going to travel to Oz, meet the son of Glinda the Good and have some adventures through Oz before finally falling in love with him and reuniting the parents at last. Some of the songs have been written by Stephen Schwartz, the man who wrote the original Wicked. Some of the songs are going to be from other musicals, even some popular songs from outside the theatre world. Now, we made one obvious change to the original idea, Elpheba's daughter has become Elpheba's son, played by the soon to be devastatingly green Kurt Hummel. "

The assembled cast gave a huge whoop at this. Rachel looked like she was about to faint from sheer happiness for her friend.

"We'll be relyingmore on songs you already know. I hope you know a lot! And there are a few minor roles to be cast still. And that ends the changes."

The group seemed shocked, but happy.

"Is the world ready for a gay romance?" John Anderson asked tentatively from the wings. "I mean... will people accept it?"

"Don't care, "Julie seemed to be relieved someone had asked the question. "Marriage is legal now in this state for anyone who qualifies, and now they cannot disqualify a couple simply because they have matching genitalia. This is New York City, we don't let terrorists push us around, we don't let anyone push us around, and we look after our own, gay, straight, rich, poor, black, white or fluorescent green. This a benefit concert to help people who are in desperate need around the world. We have a cast of talented unknowns for whom this show is the culmination of a dream. We have amazing stars from the industry who are giving their time and talents to help us. We have two outrageously talented young stars that make you want to vomit rainbows and sugar cookies they are so damned adorable and we are performing in one of the most iconic venues in the greatest goddamn city in the world. New York will accept this show because that's what this big mess of a city does. And the world will accept it because if it doesn't, this big beautiful mess of a city will mess with its face until it does."

The teens on stage looked pumped by her impromptu speech.  
>Kurt and Blaine looked like they might cry.<p>

"Now show me what I have to work with. I need to choose songs you already know or have already performed so we can make up for our late start. I need to choose some of you to go through hell because I will be assigning the last few solos, duets and group numbers this afternoon and those chosen may have to learn some original material and be ready to perform it, perfectly by nine am tomorrow. If you don't want to be considered for that responsibility, please give your name to the stage manager, Poppy, wave to everyone Poppy, before you leave tonight. I repeat, this is an opt OUT system. If you don't leave your name I will put you on my list and if I choose you, you WILL be worked like you have never worked before. Now, just fire a song, any song at the band, trust me, they can play it, possibly not on every instrument, but someone in there will know whatever it is. Who's on first?"

No one moved for a few seconds.

.

"Too slow! Ok, Rachel, you're up. Funny Girl, in E. It's by Barbra so I know that you know it. You, Mercedes! Yes, I know your name too. I want to see you after Rachel, I suggest Whitney or Aretha, then Tina, yes, I know you too, get over it, surprise me dear. After those three I better see some of the boys, you, the tall muscle hunk with the cute blond attachment, you look like a crooner, Sinatra, Sammy Davis, or maybe Tony Bennet, ok? After him, you're on your own. Rachel, sing! Marty, give her an eight count and..."

"Please tell me she doesn't mean me!" Dave hissed to Jeff who was holding his arm like he had been since the plane.

"You don't think I'm cute?"

"What? Of course, but... I... I can't sing...not in front of..."

"Suck it up Karofsky, I heard you when we did Thriller. You can sing, you can dance, you have muscles and you apparently have attachments that are cute. Be a man or... whatever the hell you are and do what you love to do."  
>Puck smiled at Dave as he nudged his shoulder.<p>

Rachel heard her cue and began to sing.

.

The next three hours were hell.  
>Not unpleasant of course, in fact the parents, who had intended to go to the hotel to sort out luggage and... arrange for the return of the sofa Artie and Steffi had been sitting on (which had somehow also made the transition from the plane to the street where Kurt and Blaine had been standing), found themselves sitting transfixed in the stalls as they listened to singer after singer amaze them. (oh, Burt had somehow brought Artie's wheelchair too.)<p>

The rehearsal was hell because Julie Taymor was even tougher on her performers than Sue Sylvester.  
>Added to the tension was the fact that no one had had a chance to talk about what had happened on the plane when it was flying, on the plane when it had materialised on the tarmac at LaGuardia or to the occupants of the plane when Burt realised that he still wasn't where his son needed him.<p>

For some of the people involved, not being able to talk about it was slowly killing them.

.

.

All thoughts of frustrated curiosity were cast aside however when Dave Karofsky came forward, being literally dragged onto the stage by Jeff, and mumbled something to the orchestra leader.  
>H e straightened up, looked at Jeff and smiled shyly then turned to the others who were sitting in the stalls by now.<p>

"This is the song that I have listened to everyday of my life for the last three years. It's where I was, not where I am now, but I still love it because it shows me how far I've been led by the people I love. I have never sung it aloud before now. I've never sung... oh to hell with it, here goes nothing."

The orchestra began to opening notes of Sammy Davis Junior's version of Antony Newley's 'What Kind of Fool Am I'.

Everyone sat and stared as a rich, deep baritone rose from the stiff figure standing nervously on the stage.  
>Jeff reached out from the wings and offered his love and support through their link, and Dave accepted it gratefully.<p>

His voice smoothed out and expanded as his shoulders relaxed.  
>In seconds he was lost in the emotions of the song and soon after, so was his audience.<p>

At some points in the lyrics, Jeff, Kurt and Blaine startled, as if recognising some parallel with Dave's own past that only they knew of.

Paul sat in shock as he listened to the raw emotion in his son's voice.  
>As he listened to the raw beauty of his son's voice.<p>

Julie Taymor sat beside her designers and stage assistants and shook her head.

Rachel had been every bit as talented as her grainy video had hinted at.  
>Mercedes had sung Whitney's 'One Moment in Time' and almost brought the orchestra to its collective knees.<br>Tina had astonished them all with her perfect and moving rendition of Sarah McLachlan's 'Angel', staring inexplicably into the wings from time to time as she sang.

And now this football player, who she had just learned had never sung solo in public in his entire life, was tearing her soul in two with a voice of pure gold and courage so breathtaking that Julie felt like she would never be able to cry enough tears to ease her pain.

Who the hell were these people, she thought, and how long can I make this concert before people will start dying in their seats?

How many more of these singers will I be able to listen to before my heart bursts?

Julie wasn't sure if she was in heaven or in hell.

A little from column A, a little from...

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The tension running through the rooftop function room of the Trump Tower was almost visible as the members of New Directions, The Warblers and their parents and... pets finished the late supper the hotel had arranged for them and the staff left the room entirely, as requested by Kurt and Blaine.

It was, perhaps, a testament to how tired and stressed Kurt was that he changed into sweat pants and a T-shirt within seconds of returning to the hotel and showering. He said he felt the need for comfort rather than fashion, just this once.

It was perhaps an even greater testament to how strange most people's day had been that the choir members hadn't even batted an eyelid when they found an elderly Chinese man in elaborate silk robes and a large, ferocious looking black dog sitting in the meeting room the boys had reserved, playing online poker on the big presentation screen.

"I staked Dog five hundred dollars to start betting with, he is up to seventeen thousand now. He can spot a bluff from a mile away you know. Never play against him boys!" Pang had explained when Kurt had demanded what they were doing.

.

Noah Puckerman had simply headed for the food, only just managing to head Finn off.  
>"I vote we explain the weird after we eat. I just can't verbalise my way through an acid trip like this on an empty stomach."<p>

"Rachel, Flint and Wes, anything with a blue plate or bowl is guaranteed vegan, in addition, Jeff, Trent, Quinn and Tina anything with a green plate etc is vegetarian."  
>Kurt smiled as he saw the relieved faces of his friends who had been staring at the huge spread with hungry but wary eyes.<p>

Dave turned to Jeff in surprise.  
>"You're vegetarian?"<p>

"Four years now. Haven't you noticed when we've been out to dinner?"

"I thought you were just a fussy health-nut like Kurt."

"No, I'm vegetarian. I'll eat eggs and dairy, but I just can't eat anything that has breathed is how I usually explain it. It's a Jungian thing."

"So you won't eat meat at all?"

Jeff smirked and raised an elegant eyebrow.  
>"I might be persuaded to make an exception."<p>

Dave took a few seconds to think that one through and then blushed furiously.

.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, it was time to start the explanations.  
>Those in the know had a quick discussion about the best place to start, but no one could make a firm decision.<p>

Eventually it was actually Lauren who solved it all.

"Ok, enough of this crap. Here's what we're going to do. All those who are totally lost about the weirdness that happened today, come over to this side of the table. All those who are in on the inside info, go to that side. No talking!"

People moved.  
>So did the animals.<br>Nobody was surprised that Finn was on the 'in the know' side, but Mercedes and Rachel caused a little stir from some of the New Directions people.  
>Who knew that either of them was capable of keeping a secret that well?<br>That was nothing to the total surprise on everyone's faces when Steffi lurched to her feet and lumbered over to join Kurt and the others.

"What?" she snapped at the open mouths, "I've been stuck in a bed talking to Pete's kitten for the last week. If you didn't want her to talk back to me, perhaps you shouldn't have taught her how to, Kurt!"

Miss Meggle had just glared at the crowd with a superior air and continued to nibble at the sushi she had liberated from one of the platters still laid out for hungry people to graze on.

"Ok, "Lauren continued, "Now, each of us on this side can ask a question. Just one, ask it to a specific person... or ...yeah, or animal, and guys on that side, try to keep the answers brief. That'll take the pressure off the crowd a little. Once we've all had a chance to let off some curiosity, I vote that Kurt and Blaine explain things from wherever they decide the beginning is. Ok? Fine, I get to go first. You, the old, harmless looking Chinese man, who are you and more importantly, what are you? Show us please, I've watched a lot of movies and it's always the harmless looking ones that are the secret vampires or something."

Mike and Tina nodded in agreement with this, as did Sam.

.

Grandpa Pang did a quick estimation of the size of the room and asked both groups to move outside into the rooftop garden.

"Well this bodes well." Artie muttered as they all shuffled out into the balmy night air and took in the magnificent view over the park.

"I've got the security cameras fixed Grandpa, they think it's an hysterical joke to play on the security staff. I've also shielded the rooftop from observation, people's eyes will just glide over it, so long as we don't make too much noise. We should be..."  
>Kurt froze for a second and closed his eyes.<p>

"Ok, fixed now, we're good to go."

"What was it honey?" Blaine asked softly.

"Spy satellite going over, it was taking pictures."

Lord Tubbington and Pang both raised their eyebrows at that.

"You can reach..." Lord Tubbington stammered.

"Oh, it was in a fairly low orbit, barely four hundred miles."

Kurt's friends were confused by the conversation.

"So you're telling us, Kurt just turned off all the cameras in the area, and made us all invisible to people on the surrounding buildings, and now he just fiddled a spy satellite that's orbiting four hundred miles above us?" Puck asked.

"Yes, pretty much." Blaine answered.

"American or Russian spy satellite? Or was it Chinese?" Artie asked.

"Worse, Google-Earth." Kurt replied.

.

"Ok Oldie, no more stalling. Who are you, what are you and why are you here? Are you related to Kurt somehow? He called you Grandpa."

Pang smiled and answered Lauren's questions.

"My name is Pang Lung. I am Blaine's great-great grandfather. I am the former Emperor of the Celestial Court and a humble River Dragon. Please do not be alarmed, but you did request me to show you my true form, and I tend to take up a lot of room."

With that, Pang was suddenly floating in Dragon shape over the terrace, his claws brushing the treetops as he hovered. After a few seconds he returned to human form.

"Does this mean Blaine is a Dragon too?" Wes asked that question, his face shocked but excited.

Blaine didn't answer with words, he simply took Pang's former place over the group.

"Oh my God, your boyfriend is a Dragon! "Tina gushed, "That is so hot. I'm jealous now Kurt."

Mike made a small sound of protest and Tina turned to him instantly.  
>"Oh babe, I'm only joking."<p>

.

Sam asked a question next.

"Ok, I...um...I don't know who this question is for actually, but...how did we get to that street in downtown New York when we were flying over Pennsylvania a few seconds before and are we going to have any nasty side effects from it?"

Burt Hummel raised his hand.  
>"That would be my doing. I... I needed to be where my son was. He needed me there, and thanks to Carole's wish, I can do that now. I can go where I am needed to help, 'always be there for the people who need you' isn't that how you worded it honey? I figured, if the need was strong enough, I could bring people with me too. The plane stopping at LaGuardia is mostly because I sort of had it stuck in my head that that was where we were going. It was only once we arrived that I realised that I needed to be where Kurt actually was, not just in the same city so I...I did it again. I don't know if there will be side effects."<p>

"There won't be, "Lord Tubbington said authoritatively, "Perfectly safe form of travel. A little impressive that you moved an entire plane full of all of us so far in distance but... it only proves what we all knew, that your love for your son is bigger than anyone could ever measure. We assumed that Kurt got his incredible capacity for love from his mother's mysterious nature, but it seems we were wrong."

"Ok, I just have to ask. How did you learn to talk?" Puck was frowning at Lord Tubbington in frustration, "And who the hell are you? You obviously seem to know something about this, perhaps more than most. What is your name, and what are you? I never believed any of those things Brittany said about her cat were true, but now..."

"Oh God! Does this mean everything Brittany has ever said is true?" Thad asked. He had been totally confused for months, ever since he had accepted Brittany's offer of friendship on Facebook.

"It always has been, "Santana said reflexively. "Britt never lies, and she can't understand lies either. Sometimes she gets stuff wrong because she mishears you, or it triggers some weird thought in her brain, but she is the one person I know who has never lied to me or been anything other than completely open."

"Truth!" Artie raised his hand in agreement.

.

Santana frowned slightly at the boy, until she noticed that the look on his face as he gazed at Brittany was one of fond nostalgia, not his previous sad longing.

"She said she loves you Santana, on the plane. We all heard. Please make her happy, she deserves it." Artie was smiling sadly at the Latina.

After a few seconds, Santana smiled sadly back.

"Two questions there, but the second has been answered easily enough, "Lord Tubbington stretched and then sat down again, "Brittany cannot lie, ever. As to who I am Mr Puckerman? Well... I've had so many names. I am, or rather, I was what your legends would refer to as a Faerie. I've also been called a God, but that time is long past. Now, I am a cat, and that is more than enough."

"Names? "Puck asked.

"Puck." Kurt grinned as he said it.

"What do you want Hummel?"

"No, Puck. I mean Puck. Puck was one of the names he was known by."

Quinn gasped.  
>"You mean, like 'A Midsummer's Night's Dream'? That Puck?"<p>

Lord Tubbington nodded gravely.

"Oh this is so cool!" Mike Chang whispered to Trent and Wes. "I love that play!"

"So you're pretending to be a cat now... why?" Flint, one of the Warblers asked.

"I'm not pretending, I am a cat now. It's a bit long and complicated and involves a fairly detailed explanation of both reincarnation, the nature of _Faerie_ and an explanation about wishes All of which I believe would fall under the umbrella of things you asked Mr Hummel and Mr Anderson to explain about. Would you like them to start now?"

.

"In a second, I have one last question, for Dave and Jeff." Tina seemed nervous as she glanced at the two boys who were standing near the door back into the boardroom with Jeff's arm wrapped tightly around Dave's waist.

Dave and Jeff smiled reassuringly at her.

"Are you an Angel Dave, or you Jeff? And if you are, does this mean God is real?"

Dave looked disturbed by the question. His face was even more twisted when his father added an extra question of his own.

"Does this mean you died David? Are you..."

"I died several times remember Dad. It wasn't the doctors at the hospital that kept me alive, although I'm sure they helped. It was Kurt. After... after the attack on Mrs Hummel, I... I remember floating in a sea of darkness. Then I heard Kurt's voice and I knew I had to listen to him. I can't remember what he said, but I found myself trapped in the dark. Sometimes there was pain, or I found myself being vaguely aware of things around me. I can remember seeing Kurt buying a cup of coffee in the canteen one day, and I remember hearing you cry Dad. At first I was alone in the darkness. I could feel myself fading, despite Kurt's wish. Then I heard singing, and... it was like the stars came out. There were all these points of light appearing around me as I was floating in the dark, and voices too. I could hear some of them clearer than others. I knew when you were there Dad, and Blaine too. I heard you singing to me Quinn, you sounded so fragile, so angelic. I heard Kurt singing with you, and others, but... I can't remember who they were. I remember hearing another voice too, it was the one that sounded most real to me, after Kurt's voice, but I couldn't remember who it was. Anyway... I stopped fading, and I could feel this warmth coming from all of the stars."

Dave was staring up at the night sky, but the lights of the city stopped him from seeing the real stars.

"I tried to count them. Most were so faint I lost track, but some were brighter. I finally managed it, and each time I was awake enough to count them, I could see the same number of bright stars. Sometimes I hated them, they burned me. Sometimes I wept because they made me feel so safe and loved. Then I felt a star, one of the really, really bright ones come close to me and I felt it burning my hand and..."

Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

"I woke up, for real this time, and I saw... you."  
>Dave turned to Jeff and smiled at him.<p>

.

"No wonder you lived!" Pang whispered, but loudly enough for all to hear. "Kurt's wish should not have been able to bring you back. At best he might have delayed your death a few hours, or days. But he didn't stop at the wish. He insisted that everyone help him to help you. He made sure you were never alone in the dark."

Lord Tubbington gasped.  
>"He made a web of love to catch you. Those bright stars were the people who sat with you while you were in the coma. They healed you with their love for you, some more than others, but all of those who agreed to help did their part. "<p>

"But the other stars...?" Kurt was confused too.

"You made a web Kurt. Each person who sat vigil by Dave's side, didn't just pour their love into him, they gave him a connection to all of those who loved them. And each of those people, were connected to other people who loved them."  
>Pang was looking at the young boy in awe.<p>

"Those were the fainter stars weren't they?" Carole asked.

Lord Tubbington nodded as he took over the explanation.  
>"And they grew fainter and fainter, until no one could see them, but they were still there. Even an infinitesimally small jolt of love energy can create a miracle, and when you weave a web that links everyone in the world..."<p>

"Everyone in the...?" Kurt seemed lost.

"Six degrees of separation Kurt! Do you know it, the theory that everyone is connected to everyone else in the world somehow by no more than six degrees?" Blaine was excited he had grasped it.

"Degrees...?"

"Everyone knows someone who knows someone, who knows someone else." Puck offered.

"Puckerman, you are sexy and smart!" Lauren grinned at him.

.

Kurt finally understood.  
>"So Dave was healed... brought back from death, by... the combined love of the entire world?"<p>

"Pretty much! "Pang smiled, "You do good wishes young master. Have you considered a career in Faerie Training after this?"

"So why is he an...an...Angel?" Tina asked.

"Wishes try to take their form from the thoughts of those involved. Kurt wanted him to live and find love. The world has had images and concepts of Angels and similar beings coming back from the realms of the dead in all cultures and for thousands of years. And Dave himself... his heart is pure. He wanted to repay the love he felt himself unworthy of, so he created his own image, and powers. He will pay back the love he felt he received unjustly by bearing the hurts of the innocent."  
>Lord Tubbington looked like he was enjoying the mental challenge of the discussion.<p>

"So how is it that I...?" Jeff asked.

"You love him, and the two of you were linked by my wish I suppose and so...I guess you're still his link to the emotional energy of the world. It would explain the whole 'empath' thing."  
>Kurt was smiling.<p>

"Could we see...? Dave, Jeff... if you don't mind? There was so much going on when you were..." Nick was smiling shyly at his friend.

Dave allowed his wings to reappear and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and flew to hover just above the group, wings moving gently. Jeff let the silver light within him begin to glow from his eyes and skin. After a few seconds they landed and allowed those who were curious to touch and play with the feathers of Dave's wings.

.

.

"Ok, I think it's time we heard the story, or at least as much as we can handle for tonight. Kurt, Blaine, care to begin?" Dr Lopez finally spoke.

"Oh, ok... now, where to begin..."  
>Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and began their story.<p>

"Well, for us, it began two days after school broke for the summer..."

The discussion that ensued was much smoother than most of the adults had anticipated it would be.  
>When John Anderson asked why everyone seemed willing to accept the story without freaking out or panicking, the answer was given in a strange sort of echoing tandem by one of the Warblers (Richard) and Tina.<p>

"Well, I guess... we know Kurt pretty well, and we've known Blaine like, forever and..."

"...I've known Kurt since I was in middle school. Kurt and Blaine...well, you just know that they would never do anything that might..."

"...those guys are just so good. I mean, they are both like some sort of super Boy Scout type and..."

"...if Kurt says it's safe and not to panic, then I trust him."

.

The only other moment of major drama had been when Kurt found out what had happened to Blaine during the bomb scare.  
>Blaine hadn't meant for him to discover just how badly he had been hurt, but...<br>(here's how it happened)

.

Dog and Meggle were bored with the humans' insistence on talking things through.

Miss Meggle knew that she was capable of dealing with whatever might arise, particularly now that Kurt's wish had given her the ability to speak.

Dog just wanted to go roll in something.

They settled for watching a game show on the TV screen in the meeting room. Dog managed to beat Meggle in the second round when the topic was 'Stone Age Civilization'.

The discussions were reaching a conclusion, finally, when a news bulletin broke into the program. Dog went to get Dave, who rapidly got everyone looking at the screen.

A news reporter was explaining that the film they were repeating had been edited together from several different eyewitnesses' camera phones, but had been checked by their independent expert and had been certified as undoctored and genuine.

The film varied dramatically in quality, and camera angle, but it clearly showed the building Kurt and Blaine had attempted to save. A silver streak rose rapidly from the rooftop of the building and swiftly rose above its neighbours also.

None of the cameras were close enough to get a good shot, but it was clearly Blaine in Dragon form.

The reporter and a military expert were talking over the footage.

.

"...now, you can see that this...creature..."

"The official government description of this is actually a UFO Ms Couric."

"But it's obviously not a flying saucer."

"I know, but it is an object that is both flying and unidentified. It may be some sort of rocket or a kite, or perhaps a disguised personal flying device."

"Well, Major, we're going to call it a Dragon. You can see at this point in the footage the Dragon had what appears to be a metallic box in what appears to be its mouth..."

The Major from the US Air force was glaring slightly at Katie Couric as she smiled sweetly at him.

.

"...that camera lost sight of the creature for a few seconds, but this shot shows it as it rises above the buildings surrounding the court. This angle shows the Dragon tossing whatever it is into the air, then wrapping its body around the object."

Kurt and Blaine's family and friends we all crowded into the room now, watching the action. Kurt was clutching one hand to his mouth in horror and shock, and the other was crushing the sensation out of Blaine's hand as Kurt's eyes remained glued to the screen.

"...our experts within the arms industry and the police have identified what happens next as the explosion of some sort of high incendiary device. Police reports we've obtained also indicate that a search of the area below this explosion was conducted and evidence of a very large shrapnel bomb was discovered. In short, this creature, if it was a real creature, flew the bomb off the roof of the building and high into the air. Thus preventing the workers in the surrounding buildings suffering what our experts estimate from the footage would have been an horrific explosion and probably would have cause major causalities."

The official Air force spokesman sat uncomfortably.

"The same experts also say that, by wrapping itself around the bomb the way it did, the Dragon may well have saved those people who were on the ground below, in about a three block radius, from serious injury and possibly death."

.

Everyone in the boardroom turned to look at the boys as Kurt turned pale and began to tremble.

"Unfortunately, this camera was the only one to capture the actual moment of the blast and the seconds leading up to it. The member of the public who gave us this footage was understandably shaken by what she had seen and dropped her phone for a few seconds. When she picked it up, the Dragon had disappeared, but by analysing the last few instants of the shot, we estimate that it had sustained damage and was falling."

Kurt was crying as everyone continued to stare at Blaine.  
>Burt turned the footage off as the Air force Major began to spin a line to cover what had been shown.<p>

.

"What happened sweetie?" Carole asked as she and Elaine converged on the boys.

"I fell."

"What? Why? How?" Finn asked in shock.

"I was stunned by the blast. It hurt so much. I could hear the blast echoing in my ears, but muffled. Maybe I was deaf or had a blasted eardrum or something. I could feel my body being torn and burned and then I felt my form changing,"

"I think I felt it too." Kurt was pale and shaking. "I think I was feeling what you were feeling."

"Blaine? You fell two hundred and fifty feet?" Trent asked.

"Gravity sucks doesn't it?" Blaine tried to lighten the mood a little.

"How did you survive?" Santana asked.

.

Blaine hesitated to answer, but decided to tell the whole truth.  
>"Well... technically I didn't."<p>

"What?" Mercedes exclaimed, "Did you..."

Blaine raised his arms to ask for quiet.  
>"I didn't exactly die. Remember us telling you about wishing for various powers, even though we didn't realise what we were actually doing at the time? Well, my subconscious desire to be a super hero means that one of the powers I wished for involved one of my favourite TV shows, Doctor Who..."<p>

Jeff broke in, "You regenerated? So you can regenerate after all! Oh my God! That is so cool."

Luckily, most of the younger members of the group were at least somewhat familiar with the show.

"Do you have..." Sam asked breathlessly.

"...Two hearts? I do now, and all the strange blood chemistry and breath control too. And it also seems I can regenerate when I am close to death. Although luckily Grandpa Pang was right. I didn't change to a new body, just healed the old one."

"Still not Ginger then!" Jeff quipped brightly, earning either smiles or looks of incomprehension depending on how well the listeners knew their 'Who'.

.

Kurt was very still and pale.  
>Blaine sensed something huge was bothering him.<p>

"Kurt, darling, what's wrong."

"Nothing Blaine, I'll be fine."

_._

_Don't give me that, spill!_

_I just don't want to air my problems in front of these people._ "I just need to get some sleep before rehearsal tomorrow."

"These are our friends Kurt, they love you." _No Kurt! We need to discuss this now!_

.

"They are totally doing that telepathy thing while they are talking, aren't they?" Lauren bitched.

"I don't care about that, I want to see the rings! "Tina pouted.

.

Kurt and Blaine snapped out of their reverie and came forward to show off their rings.  
>Their discussion could be held another time.<p>

"Oh my God!" Quinn gushed, "You put them on the left hand! Now you're going to have to get married."

"It's legal in New York you know! " Thad remarked.

Kurt and Blaine blushed.

"We're way too young to even think about..." Kurt began.

.

"Oh cut the crap kiddo!"

.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at Burt Hummel.  
>The man bit his lip slightly as he felt everyone's gaze upon him, then fixed Blaine and Kurt with a steely glare.<p>

.

"You forget boys. Both sets of parents have rings too. Maybe not as fancy or powerful as yours, but we know what they mean. Kurt, Blaine, in every way that matters, you married each other the day you put those rings on. Now, I'm sure we would all have been more comfortable if you had waited a few years. But then I thought about it. What would you be waiting for? You are already closer to each other than any non-magically gifted couple could ever be. No force on earth could make you love each other more, or pull you apart. In fact, once all the fuss and hoopla settles, I want you two to start planning the ceremony I know Elaine and Carole are dying for. Now, on that note I agree with one thing. It's time we all got some rest."

Blaine's hearts had almost exploded with joy as he listened to Burt giving hid blessing for their love. Kurt on the other hand seemed even more withdrawn and upset.

"Kurt, what's wrong? Please honey, you have to talk to me."

.

"Porcelain has always had a habit of playing his cards too close to his chest. I'm all for keeping one's personal and private life both personal and private, but sometimes sweet Porcelain can keep his cards so close he can't actually play the game."

The voice was harsh, but not hostile, and very, very familiar.

.

The group turned back to the rooftop garden where they spotted Coach Sylvester sitting comfortably on one of the wooden benches.  
>She was clad in her usual tracksuit (this one a glorious deep plum colour) and was carrying a small overnight bag.<p>

"Coach...?" Santana asked in confusion. "How did you...?"

"Don't stress your silicone enhanced brain cells McFakeBoobs, 'Sue drawled, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you anyway."

"Is there a problem Ms Sylvester?" Blaine turned on his charm.

Sue frowned at him, but seemed sad rather than annoyed.  
>"No problem that I can't fix Frodo. Porcelain just needs to wake up to himself a little, or he's going to spoil what should be the perfect start to his happy ever after by being too afraid to live it."<p>

Kurt and Blaine both frowned too.

"Coach Sylvester? I don't know..."

"You're afraid that your little Frododo Dragon there will live forever and you won't am I right Porcelain?"

Kurt said nothing but his face went paler.

Sue shook her head ruefully.

"You guys have too much to do, and you're going to need each other fully if you are going to succeed against your enemies."

"Enemies? What enemies?" Burt was alarmed now.

.

"Never mind Mr Hummel, I'll explain later. Anyway, you need to get over your fear of dying and leaving your Hobbit all alone Kurt..."

Kurt's eyes widened as Sue used his name to his face for the first time he could ever remember.

"...luckily for you, I am brilliant enough to have realised the simple solution to your totally unfounded worries, and the method to fix said worries and I am the only person strong enough and ruthless enough to carry out this simple yet astonishingly clever plan."

Smiling gently at Kurt and Blaine she reached into the bag on her lap and pulled out a huge automatic pistol.  
>"Try to think about your clothing." She said simply.<p>

.

.

Then she emptied the gun's magazine into Kurt's chest at point-blank range.


	42. Life the Universe and Everything, Part 1

**A/N: Ok, it's short I know, but at least it's HERE.**

**I have been seriously overwhelmed by the reviews (and more, by the messages!) since I left that cruel cliffhanger ending to torment you.**  
><strong>If it's any consolation, I wanted to find out what happened next too you know! <strong>  
><strong>(Damned secretive Plot Bunnies!)<strong>

**Keep up the reviews etc, I need the power they provide to keep me trucking along and I really need to know what this all means - hopefully the next chapter will be out soon! (waves carrots at the bunny)  
><strong>

**I really need to find out who got the solos for the concert and what songs have been picked (Does that make me shallow?)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Glee, or Dr Who, or Trump Tower or even Gum (don't like gum much anyway)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Sue's voice was remarkably calm as she emptied the magazine into Kurt.  
>.<p>

"This my friends is a Glock 29SF. Some of the finest Austrian craftsmanship you'll ever see is shown here in this little baby. It can fire an extended fifteen round clip, but I personally have always been of the opinion that if you need that many bullets to hit whatever it is you are aiming at, then perhaps you should seriously reconsider shooting anybody at all. That's why I tend to stick with the standard issue ten round clip of armour piercing bullets. Admittedly it isn't really suitable for open country use, but in urban environments it's actually quite reliable, and the shorter frame on the SF model makes it much easier to carry and conceal."

Remarkably, very few people were screaming.

.

Dave spread his wings and moved forward to use them as a shield between the gun and the group still clustered in the doorway of the meeting room.  
>Jeff stood close behind him, his eyes glowing like a welding torch.<br>Burt and Carole found themselves frozen in shock as they watched Kurt's T-shirt tear and scorch from the bullets, even as it began to colour with his blood.  
>Blaine found himself unable to move.<p>

Pain seared across his body as he watched his boyfriend jerk with each strike.

.

After a few seconds, the clip was empty and Sue Sylvester ejected the clip and gently placed the pistol back into her bag.

"No, don't even think about it old man, "She glanced up as Pang began to move closer to her.  
>Sue took a piece of gum from her pocket, removed the wrapper and popped it in her mouth.<br>Then she began to scrunch the wrapper up into a tight ball.

.

Dave reached his hands towards Kurt and began to concentrate.

"No Dumbo the Flying Jockstrap, not this time. Kurt needs to do this one on his own, with no help from well meaning but misguided fools."  
>Sue flicked the wadded up paper at Dave, striking him on the forehead.<p>

.

Dave dropped like a stone, causing Jeff to shout in alarm and begin to pour healing energy into his boyfriend.  
>It was only a few seconds of delay, but Dave knew he was already too late now.<p>

"I...I can't touch him with my power. It's like...he's already moved beyond where I can reach him."

Kurt stood in his shredded shirt and watched almost calmly as his lifeblood ran out of his shattered and torn body.  
>His last act was to look into the tormented eyes of Blaine, before his own eyes rolled back into his head.<p>

_._

_I love you Blaine...For Always..._

.

Kurt stopped breathing and let his body begin to fall.  
>Blaine screamed and moved to catch him but was blown back by a fierce wind that suddenly sprang up around Kurt's dead body.<p>

It was as if a tornado had sprung up at Kurt's feet.

.

The body stopped falling to the ground as the wind caught it, and within seconds the boy's mutilated body was floating into the air in front of them.

.

"You, Old Asian, Kurt's dead, so you need to screen this rooftop now!"  
>Sue's voice was so forceful that Pang found himself stretching his power almost reflexively.<p>

"No, don't go near him!" Sue commanded as Blaine and Burt struggled to reach Kurt against the tremendous force of the winds, "Just let him work it out for himself."

.

Blaine looked at Sue as if she had gone completely mad, which, really, he supposed, she had!  
>Burt fell to his knees as Carole flew to his side and just held him.<p>

.

.

Inside the room, unseen by almost everyone, Brittany began to shale and cry again. Faint whispered words began to fall from her lips.

Dog and Meggle were the only ones able to respond to the girl's distress, even Lord Tubbington was fixated upon the scene of horror happening outside.

Dog knocked Brittany to the floor and practically sat across her body, his face pressed against the side of her face as he sent her images and feelings of happy things and love.

Meggle sent a quick call for help to the nearest humans and joined Dog in their attempt to stop Brittany from losing her mind to the fear and her memories.

Steffi and Santana heard.

Santana pressed her lips against Brittany's cheek as she tried to fill her friend with her love.  
>Steffi threw herself onto the floor and joined the others.<p>

Quinn turned as she sensed Steffi's movement.  
>She looked at the group, and realised there was no more room, then she heard Brittany whispering.<p>

Quinn snatched a marker from a nearby drawer and began to write on the linen tablecloth.

.

.

.

"Come on Porcelain, you can do this, "Sue muttered, "Come on..."

"You killed Kurt!" Rachel screamed at her.

"Oh shut up Barbra, "Sue snarled back, "He's died lots of times before. The first time, his mother helped him through it because he was still a baby. The second time Feather-Jocks there saved him. The third time he got lucky and did it without realising. Now he has to work it out for himself."

A smell began to waft over the shocked witnesses, overpowering the remnants of the gunfire and the stench of fresh blood.

Lilacs?

Burt raised his head from where Carole sat clutching it to her bosom.  
>"Lilacs...Elizabeth? Lilacs were her favourite..."<p>

Everyone on the terrace heard a sweet, lovely voice in their minds.

.

_**...Believe my sweet baby...trust yourself...reach for the sparks...remember...you are me...we are the same...we are one...it's your turn to fly now...Kurt...I love you...baby...fly...believe...fly...love...**_

.

Kurt's body burst into flames.

.

"Clothes! "Sue yelled as a smile broke across the unfamiliar territory of her face, "Oh for Pete's sake... someone go get him a blanket, he's getting it all wrong again."

.

Blaine sat and stared as the body of his boyfriend rose higher still, flames licking around it as if about to consume it utterly. Kurt's clothes were already smouldering. Blaine'sTimelord brain began to process information at superhuman speed.

.

Pang sat open mouthed as tears sprang from his eyes.  
>"My dear old friend! How wonderful to see you again...at last."<p>

Blaine realised what Kurt needed to do.

"Kurt!, "He shouted with his full voice, mind and heart. "Change form, change now, your clothes are going to get ruined baby!"

Kurt's form shimmered and where the scorched and burning body of Kurt Hummel had been suspended in the air by the winds there flew...a bird of pure fire.  
>Reds of every hue and shade were accented with blue, orange, yellow, silver, green and gold flames.<br>The creature wasn't just on fire, it was fire.

"He's so beautiful!" Blaine whispered.

.

.

The Phoenix opened its eyes.

.

.

They were the blue/grey/green of a stormy ocean.  
>They were Kurt's eyes.<p>

With a final flare of pure light, the Phoenix shimmered and was gone.

.

Kurt Hummel stood once more on the grassy surface of the garden lawn, his shredded shirt was burnt away completely, but his pants, though singed, were still enough to preserve his decency.  
>His perfect alabaster chest bore no sign of violence whatsoever.<br>He gazed into the eyes of Blaine for an eternal second and then smiled at his father, and at his friends.

.

Tina smiled with the rest at the look of joy and power that radiated now from Kurt's face.  
>"See Kurt, I told you red is your colour!"<p> 


	43. Life the Universe and Everything, Part 2

**A/N: It's been a while I know. I got sick, I got busy, life sucks as usual except for ... well, I got sick becasue I caught a cold from kissing boys (or one boy at least) - so, silver linings etc!**

**(It was a COLD, not the other thing, I ain't no Finn & Quinn!)**

**Hope this chapter suffices. Not a lot of action (well, a bit of pseudo-smut I suppose) - most of the action happens in your own imagination, so feel free to make it as dirty or as clean as your predilictions indicate.**  
><strong>I promise more updates much sooner than this one was!<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee or Fox or Trump Towers or most of the real estate of New york (ok, maybe a few buildings, but not more than 34% of the city)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt had never felt like this before.

.

It was...intoxicating.

Every cell in his body felt alive, no... was alive! Every breath he took tasted sweet. Every time he moved he felt the muscles of his legs and arms responding with joy to the excited nerve impulses that ran through his body's systems.

He could feel his hair growing.

The memory of the last few minutes slowly began to return to him.

His mother...she had been there, waiting for him in the dark beyond the stars.

He remembered the feel of her arms around him, her voice whispering into his heart.

"I love you my baby, but you can't go where I go now. It is time for you to claim your birthright. Learn to fly my baby, touch the spark within you. Go back to your Dragon and fly with him. Fly with your love!"

Kurt knew he would never hear her voice again.

.

Blaine was kneeling on the grass of the rooftop garden, holding Kurt's father in his arms as the man wept.  
>Carole knelt beside them, her arms stretched over the two men as she murmured calming nonsense and dried their tearstained faces with the Kleenex she always kept tucked just under the right shoulder strap of her bra. (A habit she's gotten into when Finn was still nursing)<p>

Kurt remembered...

.

"Coach Sylvester, I have always tried to treat you with the respect your position deserves, but I just have to say. What the hell were you thinking?"

.

The McKinley students gasped as Kurt turned to where the tall blonde woman was sitting, cleaning her gun and waited for the inevitable explosion from her.

"I beg your pardon Porcelain?"

"You shot me!"

"I know I did."

"You could have killed me!"

"That was kind of the point actually. I'm beginning to think that your husband's rather disturbing obsession with hair product may have chemically damaged your brain Porcelain."

"Blaine is not my husband...!"

"Semantics! Give it time."

"...nor are we currently in school. I have always had a soft spot for you Coach Sylvester. You were the only member of staff who was actually able to do something to try to help me, other than offering meaningless platitudes, when I was going through hell last year. You have always been harsh but fair. Maybe a little excessive sometimes but I always thought you had a soft spot hidden down underneath the crazy, yelling crust. But then you just walk in here and...actually, how the hell did you get in? Oh, and put that damned gun away, it is never going to work again anyway, so don't bother cleaning it."

Those who knew her waited for Sue to explode in her usual fit of rage, but instead she dropped the pistol casually into her sports bag and leaned back on the wooden park bench.

"You jinxed my favourite concealable weapon while you were yelling at me Porcelain?

"My name is Kurt, Ms Sylvester, Kurt Hummel! I am not Porcelain, or Lady or Tickle-Me-Doe-Face or anything else other than Kurt Hummel, and if you find yourself unable to do me even the simplest of courtesies such as addressing me by my correct name, I would be very relieved if you would refrain from addressing me at all, ever!"

Sue actually smiled.

"Finally, "She whispered almost to herself, "You found your fire at last."

.

"Ok, I thought you were hot enough with the whole shirtless thing... amazing abs there by the way Hummel, very nice... but you are totally turning me on right now with your badassness."  
>Lauren smirked as the girls in the room (and a few of the guys too) nodded appreciatively at the free show, and as the young man suddenly realised his shirt had turned to ashes and he was currently standing in front of all his friends in the singed remains of Blaine's cotton sweatpants.<p>

"Could someone get me a shirt please...or a jacket...or even a tablecloth?"

"Not this one Kurt, "Quinn's voice was calm but a little strained, "It's being used at the moment."

.

Blaine stood and walked to his boyfriend, moving to take off his shirt as he did so.

"Blaine, honey, thanks for the offer, but uncomfortable as I may be with being half naked in front of my friends, I would be infinitely more uncomfortable with you being half naked."

"Here Kurt, take my blouse, "Carole murmured as she stripped down to her simple undershirt.

"It is a lovely colour Carole, "Kurt smiled, "But I doubt it will fit."

"It will fit dear."  
>Carole glanced at her magical ring and winked slightly at him.<p>

The blouse not only fitted, but somehow it had been altered slightly to suit Kurt's shape.

"How did you...?"

"Your father has a way with wording wishes Kurt. Let's just leave it at that shall we?"

.

"Kurt, Blaine, you need to come look at this. You too Lord Tubbington." Quinn's voice was soft but commanding.

The group returned to the interior of the meeting area, to see Brittany's tear-streaked face being lovingly cleaned by Santana (using a linen napkin and some water).

Kurt hurried over, pulling some moisturising wipes, cotton balls and some skin toner out of his bag which still sat on one of the chairs nearby.  
>Something seemed to be bothering him, but he concentrated on the job at hand, only a slight frown marring his perfect features.<p>

"Oh my..." Lord Tubbington had leapt onto the table and was therefore able to see the large, neat handwriting, in black sharpie, which covered its formerly white surface.

.

"Brittany started to talk in that funny voice again, "Steffi whispered from where two of the Warblers, Richard and Trent were helping her off the floor and onto a chair. "

"I figured you might need whatever she was saying." Quinn smiled shyly as Brittany's cat turned to her and nodded his appreciation.

"Since we lost whatever prophecies had been gathered at the lawyers' offices in the fire, we will need all..."

"But we have them. Kurt and I went to get them at lunchtime, that's why we were there."

"I rang them after Brittany had one of her turns on the plane." Quinn volunteered.

"You may well have saved several lives Miss Fabray. If Blaine and Kurt had not been there..." Lord Tubbington shuddered as he thought of the consequences.

.

Blaine frowned slightly.  
>There was something he was missing.<p>

"Do you have the box Blaine?" Lord Tubbington asked.

Blaine handed it to his father who placed it on the table.

"I know it is late, but we should all make a physical copy of the collected prophecies, "Lord Tubbington suggested, "I think then we should all go get some rest. We can think about them tomorrow. I know some of you have songs to learn too. The prophecies have been with us for thousands of years, I don't think events, however precipitous they may be, are about to fall tomorrow. Let us all get a good sleep and discuss these things tomorrow night after the rehearsals. Those of us who are too...four legged or too old to perform..."

"Or too up the duff!" Steffi interjected.

"...can start to mull over things while you talented young people make magic of your own up on that stage."

.

Quinn was frowning too.  
>"We're... we've forgotten something." She muttered to herself.<p>

Blaine nodded as he heard her.

.

"Well, I for one need to go get some sleep. Luckily for me I already am quite familiar with all of my songs and solo lines, "Rachel never changed, Kurt thought as the young girl talked her self-confidence back up, "And I'm sure I will be able to pick up the new song Stephen Schwartz has written for me to sing fairly easily. I can sight read music you know, and I have perfect pitch."

"Never change Rachel." Kurt smiled as the girl put on her brave facade.

"Let's get to breakfast early and practice in the piano bar, "Tina whispered to her, "I'm sure they'll open it for us if we ask."

Rachel smiled at her friend.  
>"It's going to be so much fun, "She whispered, "We've never had a duet before!"<p>

"Just don't drown out my reedy little voice Rachel."

"Tina, your voice may not be as powerful as mine, but it has an emotional depth and a breathy tone to it that I must admit I have been threatened by in the past. Besides, I am a professional and as such I..."

"Shut up Rachel."  
>Tina hugged her frightened friend even as she said it though.<p>

"So... bedtime all? Once we've made a copy each of these prophecies!" Carole was taking over as Den Mother.

.

Pens and paper were passed around so that everyone could copy the words down.

"Why can't we remember these if they aren't written down straight away?" Finn asked. "Or at all even?"

"One can remember that a prophecy exists, "Lord Tubbington explained, "Some people are strong willed or magically powerful enough to even recall some of the words of a particular prophecy. But the magic of prophecy means that remembering the exact wording is almost impossible, and it turns out, transmitting it by any other means than in writing or by word of mouth is impossible too."

.

"We don't have many do we." Blaine asked as he looked at the collected prophecies written on his paper. "And some of them are obviously missing parts."

"This bit is only half of an obvious first sentence." Thad pointed to his page.

"And this one has no verbs." Dr Lopez shook her head.

"Just be grateful the lawyers had English translations for the one's they brought over. Some were written originally in Ancient Greek, or even earlier languages." Kurt felt the need to defend Blaine's family line.

"It will have to suffice, 'Lord Tubbington huffed, "Prophecy is only meant to be a guide anyway, not the be all and end all."

"What do you say Grandpa Pang?" Kurt asked.

There was no reply.

.

A quick check of the room and the gardens revealed that the elderly Chinese Dragon was no longer in the building.

"He's gone! But where..."  
>Blaine narrowed his eyes as he strained to recall ...something.<p>

"Where is Coach Sylvester? "Brittany asked, "She was here before...wasn't she... or am I remembering wrong again?"

"She was here! "Quinn exclaimed, "She killed Kurt! She's gone too!"

"I wonder who she's going to assassinate this time?" Wes asked wryly. "McKinley was assassinated years ago, so she's unlikely to have returned there."

.

Nick chuckled ruefully as he scratched his head.  
>"With our luck, she's probably headed off to Washington to find Lincoln!"<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Kurt, come back to bed!"

"In a minute Blaine! I just...I need to..."

"You're skin is flawless Kurt, not a scar."

"But I..."

"Come back to bed. We have to be up in a few hours. Do you want to spoil the perfection of your features with unsightly dark bags and puffy brows Kurt?"

.

Kurt left the huge mirror in the bathroom and slipped back between the sheets Blaine was holding up for him."

"I'm sorry Blaine, it's just..."

"I understand Kurt, really I do. I spent a good fifteen minutes in the shower after we got back from the rehearsals checking to see if I was missing any parts or had gained anything."

"And?"

"Seems normal."

"Good, because I refuse to settle for a blurry photocopy of my boyfriend, I want the original and the best."

"We could always..."

"What?"

"Well, we don't want to have any missing bits, do we? I think perhaps we should check out each..."

"Blaine! I thought you wanted me to get some sleep!"

"I do. I just know you are incredibly tense at the moment and I was going to suggest..."

"Blaine!"

"A massage Kurt. A simple, harmless, totally non-sexual massage."

"Your fingers touching my body can never be either harmless or non-sexual Blaine."

Blaine blushed uncomfortably.  
>"I'm sorry Kurt. I didn't mean to press..."<p>

"I didn't say 'no' Blaine!"

"Oh."

"I'm comfortable you touching me Blaine. I'm more than comfortable actually. You are my boyfriend and..."

"Kurt?"

.

"I was just thinking. So far, since we got here, how many people have told us 'gay marriage is legal in New York now'?"

"Umm... let me think. Patricia on the plane was first, then Sir Henry, then..."

"...then Julie Taymor and Stephen Schwartz both spoke to us about it while they were taking us to lunch...huh, there's a phrase I only ever dreamed I'd say!"

"And Mo, at the Gershwin mentioned it after we came back from lunch."

"The bus driver who picked us all up from the bomb site assumed we'd brought a whole wedding party with us."

"Yes he did, didn't he."  
>Blaine had by now pulled back the sheets and was straddling Kurt's legs as Kurt removed his T-shirt and let Blaine's fingers begin to relax the tense muscles of his shoulders.<p>

"Kurt, your skin is so smooth."

"Well, technically it is less than three hours old Blaine, it's bound to be a little more supple than usual."

.

Blaine grinned as he worked out the knots on either side of Kurt's spine, provoking a deep groan of pleasure. Blaine's pink tongue poked out his mouth slightly as he bit down on it and tried to avoid laughing.  
>"Does this mean you won't need to spend so much time and money on that skin routine you've developed over the years baby?"<p>

"Why fix what ain't broke baby?" Kurt replied sarcastically, "Besides, I like my routine, and it's a hell of a lot less stressful than having to die and burn up my old body every time I feel a bit wrinkly."

"And you're sure you have no memories of being the Phoenix?"

"None at all Blaine. Although once my mom had shown me what to do, and shared her memories of it with me, and Sue had yelled at me, I did recall the other times I'd rebirthed myself."

"Rebirthed?"  
>Blaine made a face.<p>

"You get to use the word regenerate for your special 'come back from the dead' trick, I get that word I guess."

"I don't like that word Kurt, you can share mine, ok?"

"You're always so nice to me Blaine!"  
>Kurt moaned into his pillow as Blaine's strong fingers found a particularly stubborn muscle and teased and cajoled it into letting go of the tension.<p>

"I really need some sort of lubricant here Kurt."

"Top drawer, my side of the bed."

No, not that sort of... Kurt, please don't say things like that when I am trying to behave in a gentlemanly fashion."

"Gentlemanly?"

"I'm being dapper and non-sexual here Kurt."

"Blaine, I can sort of feel your...little gentleman."

"Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"I didn't say 'no' Blaine."

"I am so confused right now."

.

.

Kurt sighed into the sheets beneath him as he felt Blaine's inner tension through their magical bond.  
>"Blaine, just close your eyes for a moment. Have you got them...oh, ok, good. Now, I'm aware that even though we talk about this stuff over and over, words can only convey so much meaning, and it's very easy to misconstrue something either of us says, so..."<p>

He concentrated on his feelings and 'pushed' them towards Blaine.

"Kurt? What are you...Oh!"

"There you go Blaine, my desires, hopes and limits for the evening's activities are now written in your mind, problem solved?"

"What about my limits?"

"Oh please Blaine, you are easier to read than a first grade primer."

"I... am I being insulted?"  
>Blaine could feel Kurt's humour and love still wrapping itself around his heart, so he knew the answer already.<p>

"Less talk, more fingers Blaine!"

"I still need something to... I want to be able to slide my hands over your skin without..."

"There's some Vitamin E infused Almond Oil amongst my stuff in the bathroom..."

"I don't want to move though."

"Pity the Harry Potter thing never worked out for you then isn't it Blaine?"

"No need to rub it in Kurt."

Kurt giggled.  
>"Rub it in!"<p>

Blaine sighed melodramatically.  
>"You wouldn't want me to rub you up the wrong way would you Kurt?"<p>

"No, not if you aren't going to get up to get the oil Blaine."

.

Blaine stifled a giggle as the banter reached even higher levels of silliness.

"If I were Harry Potter I could just go 'Accio Almond Oil" and..."  
>Blaine stopped talking.<p>

"What is it Blaine?"

.

.

"Is the Almond Oil in a small orange bottle with a lid shaped like a tulip?"

"Yes. Why do you...?"

Blaine reached over Kurt's shoulder to show him the bottle that had just flown into his hand.

"Oh... Blaine, that's..."

"Is it bad that I've now reached the point where something like this doesn't even make me raise an eyebrow anymore?"

"Well... your eyebrows are really, really thick Blaine. I can easily see why you might get tired from hauling them up and down a million times a day."

"Ha ha."

.

Kurt's entire body was rapidly filling with almost indescribable pleasure as Blaine's hands worked their magic.  
>"Oh my Gaga, that feels amazing!"<p>

"I don't understand how a human body can build up this much tension when it's practically brand new."

"Don't you diss my tension Blaine! I like my tension, it helps me to function."

"Well, I'm going to move it from here..."

Kurt groaned as Blaine's fingers worked their magic.

"...to here..."

Groan.

"...and then..."

"Oh God, Blaine. Do that again."

.

Blaine couldn't stop smiling as Kurt practically writhed beneath him.  
>"What were we talking about before...?"<p>

"Everyone telling us about how New York had legalised Gay Marriage. I think we were up to the bus driver."

"Oh yes! Then Julie Taymor mentioned it again,"

"You can go harder than that Blaine, just don't snap a bone."

Blaine giggled, snorting as he tried to stop it.

"Oh please. What now?"

"You said 'bone', and I can feel my..."

"I told you, you can do stuff Blaine, I didn't say you could talk about it, or giggle inappropriately."

"Meany head!"

"Goof!"

.

"Anyway... Artie and Puck have both been on at me about 'making an honest boy out of you'...was that too hard Kurt?"

"It was wonderful Blaine." Kurt snorted a little as he stifled a small giggle of his own.

"What...?"

"You said..."

"I know I said it Kurt, and I bet you are too, aren't you?"

"As steel."

"Should we...?"

"Finish my back first, please?"

"Of course my dear."

"I want to get all the tension out of my back before I flip over. I think you might have to work on my front even more Blaine. I can feel terrible tension building up there you know."

"Are you sure you're ready to..."

"Blaine! I'm going to give you a lesson in multi-tasking tonight. I'm sure even your advanced Timelord brain can manage it. You are going to keep your mind focused here..."  
>Kurt sent a telepathic pulse through their link.<br>"...while we talk about other things and your amazing fingers continue to perform arpeggios of pure pleasure across the finely tuned instrument that is my seventeen year old, almost eighteen year old, despite recent events, body."

"I love it when you talk dirty and refined at the same time Kurt."

"Multi-tasking Blaine."

"Sorry."

.

"So... do Nick and Trent really think I'm just using you for sex?"

"What? Of course not. I would never...when did they...?"

"Joke Blaine."

"Tease."

"I had Sam and Tina both trying to talk to me about how to get you to propose to me, and Richard, David, Thad and Wes sort of ambushed me as a group at the theatre and were trying to be so subtle about asking if I knew where Tiffany's was and did I know your ring size..."

"So basically your New Directions friends think I should propose to you, and my Warbler friends think you should propose to me?"

"Basically that's right Blaine."

.

"Which would you prefer?"

"I don't think we even need to do the asking do we Blaine? I mean, you already made a 'this is not a proposal of marriage' proposal when you put the ring on my finger."

"And you sort of made a 'not proposal' of your own when we were in the car on the way here that first night."

"And we made a joke about 'in sickness and in health' and 'richer or poorer' and you..."

"...We talked about kids, and I said I do and..."

"...and I said 'I will' and..."

.

Blaine continued to massage the plaint body beneath him as he felt his heart filling with even more love than he had felt before.

Kurt was silent too, deep in thought.

Finally he spoke  
>"We kind of..."<p>

"...married ourselves in the back of a limo? Yeah, we did, didn't we?"

.

Kurt was silent again.  
>"Mercedes and Rachel will be pissed they missed it."<p>

"Wes and David will kill me."

"We could not tell them, and do it properly."

"We're not eighteen yet Kurt."

"I think between our parents, our lawyers and the full magical force of Faerie, that small legal technicality doesn't stand a chance."

"You want to do this before school goes back? Assuming there is a school year to go back to of course."

"There will be. I am Kurt Hummel and I decree it shall be so."

"Who died and made you king, Kurt?"

"We both died Blaine, and I'm the Queen baby, and don't you forget it! The morons at McKinley voted for me in an overwhelming landslide of write-in voting, remember?"

"You want us to go back to McKinley as..."

"I want to see the look in their faces when they try to tease me about my boyfriend and me holding hands in the corridors, and I get to watch my husband go all 'caveman' on their butts."

"Kurt! Could you not say things like that when my...when I have my...when I'm practically lodged..."

"And on that note I think it's time to turn over."

.

"Ok, but before I lose what is left of my mental faculties, I assume you want another ring?"

"I wouldn't say no to something that matched this one, as a sort of engagement ring. We'd need one each of course. I'll check out the jewellers after the concert, pick something out and then we can propose to each other and shut the crowds up."

"You are so practical Kurt."

"Shut up Blaine and let's find out what all the fuss about second base is about, I'm feeling sporty tonight. Who knows, I may even make a play to try to steal third."

.

Blaine groaned as Kurt turned over, his skin sliding over the bare flesh of Blaine's torso and legs and suddenly he was face to face underneath him.

"Kurt, stop with the sports metaphors. It's really turning me on."

Kurt grinned wickedly as he felt Blaine's breath burning into his neck and gloried in the shuddering of Blaine's toned body as it lay on top of him, not to mention the throbbing of Blaine's...not so little gentleman.

.  
>"Blaine...Remember I told you about the time I was the kicker on the Titans? Allow me to demonstrate the dance I taught them. No, stay here Blaine, you'll want to be close to the action for this one, trust me."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Rehearsals were going well.

.

Kurt smiled as he watched Rachel glowing from the praise she had just received from Julie Taymor.

"You did a wonderful thing Kurt, when you offered to share your part with her."  
>Blaine's breath on the back of Kurt's ear as he whispered to him made Kurt shiver slightly with physical sensation, and memories.<p>

"Oh like I could ever have managed the workload in the time we have, "Kurt murmured.

"I think it was the shock in Julie's eyes that got me the most. I guess she just isn't used to wannabe stars giving away half their solos to a friend."

"Well, Stephen Schwartz agreed that splitting the character into twins made a lot of sense. He's been down in the manager's office writing more songs and more story for when they put this musical on for real."

"Is he keeping your character a boy?"

"Yes, he says it's time the world pulled its head out of its collective ass and joined the 'community of the enlightened' is how he puts it."

.

"How did Rachel's duet with Tina go?"

"They nailed it, of course."

"I still can't get over Dave being given a solo, have you heard him yet?"

"No, "Kurt frowned slightly, "He's been down in the smaller rehearsal room with the musical director all morning, even Jeff hasn't seen him."

"It's going to be amazing hearing that song sung by a man instead of a woman isn't it. Dave has so much emotion when he sings, I predict tears all round."

"You seem to have changed your opinion of Dave recently."

"It took me longer to forgive him for what he did to you Kurt, mostly because I'm just not as compassionate a soul as you, but I can see who he really is now, and I think I'm really starting to love the guy."

.

"What the hell did you just say?"  
>Puck was frowning as he walked past the pair.<p>

Kurt and Blaine blinked at him, surprised by the anger they saw on his face.

"Did you just say...?"

Kurt gasped as he realised the mix up.  
>"Noah! Pull your head in. I understand perfectly what Blaine meant. I love Dave too. He saved my life...well, I suppose if Grandpa Pang's snowstorm hadn't stopped me from dying I might have regenerated, but Dave took my wounds from me, even though he didn't know Jeff would be able to heal him."<p>

.

"Oh, sorry dude. I guess I'm just a bit antsy today."

"What's wrong man?" Blaine asked the Mohawked teen.

"Lauren told me to keep my paws to myself just before. All I wanted was a chance to show her how I feel."

"By copping a feel?" Kurt raised a brow to communicate his opinion of Puck's methods.

"I have needs."

.

Blaine and Kurt sighed almost in unison and Kurt made the decision he would break his strict 'non-interference' rule.

"Noah, you might make more progress with your lady-love if you treated her less like a collection of tantalising, grabbable body parts and more like someone you want to be in love with."

"You guys don't understand..." Puck began whining.

"Because we're gay? Oh please Puck. Love is love, the plumbing is totally irrelevant, despite what Santana all too frequently asserts."  
>Kurt was frowning at him.<p>

"No, because the two of you are complete virgins who have never had a...thought of...a...sexual..." Puck slowed and stopped speaking as he saw Blaine and Kurt both colour slightly and twitch a little.

.

.

"O. M. G! You got some Hummel! Way to go Frodo! So who did the deed and who got the deed done to them? I bet it was..."

"Noah Puckerman, finish that sentence and playing with Lauren Zises will forever be so far out of reach of your physical abilities you may as well join a convent."

Puck shifted nervously as he remembered he was in fact talking to a twenty foot long Dragon and a horse-sized immortal bird made of pure flames.

"Sorry...I just..."

Kurt smiled at his friend.  
>"We haven't gone all the way yet Noah. Unlike you, Blaine and I are taking things as they come and don't feel like it's a race we need to beat everyone else at."<p>

"How far..."

"No Puckerman, just...no."

.

Puck nodded and smiled warmly.  
>"You make my boy happy Blaine, or else. I don't care if you're a damned Dragon, I'll find a..."<p>

"Noah! Blaine and I can't ever hurt each other. Ever! "

"Just be careful Kurt, and use protection, especially if you decide to play defence. You don't want to get knocked up you know. Take it from one who knows, ok?"

"I'm a boy, Puckerman!"

"He is, I can verify that! All man, and quite impressively qualified if I..."

"Please don't help me Blaine."

.

Puck laughed as the two lovers began to bicker silently.

"Kurt, from what I heard and saw last night, you're some sort of immortal bird thing that was always both male and female. Who knows what sort of crazy shit you could pull if you aren't careful."

Kurt was flabbergasted.

"Noah, I promise, if I begin ovulating I will come straight to you and borrow a whole truckload of condoms, deal?"

"What size will you need Blaine? I mean, I tend to only keep rubbers designed to tame Puckzilla here so..."

"Those will have to do if you haven't got bigger ones." Kurt's face looked like he couldn't believe what had just come from his own mouth.  
>Blaine just blushed.<p>

Puck sniggered, and fist-bumped the shorter boy.  
>"I guess what they say about Dragons is true then!"<p>

"Puck!"

.

Puck left the boys standing in the wings and walked off, laughing, to find Lauren.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Let's try arranging the three we got most recently at the top and see if there's a pattern."  
>Elaine Anderson scratched her head ruefully. The parents, Meggle, Dog, Lord Tubbington and Steffi had been working on the prophecies for hours. Well, Steffi had actually taken one look at the paper she had been handed and decided she was in desperate need of a nap.<p>

Before leaving for the theatre that morning, Blaine had called Song Lee up to the rooftop meeting area again. Elaine and John had recognised the girl instantly, and had been very grateful when the assistant manager had agreed to remain with the group to act as an assistant for them.

John, Burt and Paul moved the large pieces of cardboard which the group had decided to write the prophecies on into the desired order.

_**The second cannot find herself until the first is found, but the first will do the finding.  
>She will not speak until the deathless has died and the fire has been lit anew.<strong>_

_One shall feel the touch of terror  
>One shall taste the kiss of flame<br>Her mask of lies is torn asunder  
>When love sets fire to the rain<em>

_**Sing a song of love in the heart of summer  
>When fear runs riot from the father's fall<br>A winter's song feeds the child of Ariadne  
>And hope shall spring eternal, in the hearts of all<strong>_

"Did that help?" Dr Lopez asked from where she was coming back into the room.

"No, "Carole sighed sadly, "How is Steffi?"

"She's going well. She just got a call from Judy Fabray. Apparently Rachel's parents have cancelled their viewing party and have been trying to organise a party to come to New York to be closer to the kids when they make their Broadway debuts."

"Oh that is so sweet, who is coming?" Elaine Anderson smiled.

"Everyone. Somehow someone contacted Mr Trump and he has offered them accommodation here. Unfortunately, his plane is already on its way to pick him up, so they have no way of getting here. No flights are available at this late stage, not even to charter, and they simply can't find a bus that's available. They'd have to leave by this afternoon to make it on time."

Burt Hummel nodded in understanding.  
>"What about the school bus?"<p>

Dr Lopez laughed.  
>"Mr Schuster and that girlfriend of his tried already Judy said, but Figgins has already hired the bus out for the summer. That man would sell his shadow on a cloudy day if he could."<p>

.

John Anderson thought for a few moments.  
>"I have an idea, Dalton would be happy to offer them a bus I suspect. Could you give me a contact number for the Berrys or Mr Schuster Burt?"<p>

Burt smiled, "Hold out your phone John."

John did so.

"Um... excuse me phone... could you transfer all the relevant numbers to John's phone...umm...please?"

Burt's phone beeped several times. After a few moments, John's phone made a surprised sounding beep of its own.

"Kurt's influence on machinery?"

"It has its advantages, but trying to keep a ceasefire going between Finn and our refrigerator can be nerve wracking."

"I know, let's put the fragmentary ones up next!" Elaine was concentrating on the puzzle.

_The Elements combined shall call forth the..._

_**...and thus the immortal's beloved  
>Two parts, two hearts, two lives, two wives<strong>_

_...her fortunes reversed  
>Yet the Queen will search for her crown, never knowing that...<em>

"That first one reminds me so much of Captain Planet it just isn't funny." Carole quipped as she read over the list.

The others looked at her strangely.

"Finn used to watch it religiously."

"He still does." Burt rumbled, "I think it's the only thing that gets him up on a Saturday morning."

/**walk time best before sun rises**/_smell of dew and the warmth of dawn_/**human boys too lazy sometimes**/

Paul Karofsky smiled as he found himself forced to agree with his son's pet.

.

"Shall we stick the other three up and see if a pattern leaps out at us?" Carole smiled at the others.

"And after that, I think we should go shopping. I want to wear something nice to the concert." Dr Lopez smiled as she twirled around.

"Kurt and Blaine left us a credit card, so let's go mad shall we!" Elaine grinned.

Paul Karofsky made an enquiring look at her.

"Magic isn't the only inheritance the boys received. Let's go grab some lunch, and then go stimulate the economy." Elaine smiled at him.

.

Paul and Burt moved the final three cards onto the table.

_**The Emperor shall choose a Queen to be his consort and then shall the fools who tested them know remorse.**_

_The child cries for the mother  
>The mother aches for her child<br>The Queen dies for the World's life  
>When the Magic finally runs wild<em>

_**The Queen shall see the danger, but too late  
>But still, the messengers can save the King<br>**_

.

"Nine prophecies, can anyone see a pattern?" Lord Tubbington asked the others hopefully.

"Lots of Queens and crowns and references to dying." Burt sighed.

"I can't see anything, but now I am getting the Captain Planet theme in my head too!" Paul Karofsky laughed.

"Love setting fire to the rain reminds me of the water falling from the fire hoses at the fire at the courthouse." John Anderson said thoughtfully.

"Sue Sylvester said Kurt died and was reborn in the fire there, that would qualify as 'the kiss of flame' wouldn't it?" Elaine said gently, conscious of Burt's continuing fear for his son.

"And if Blaine wasn't 'touched by fear' wrapping himself around a bomb like that and then falling..." john Anderson stopped with a shudder.

"So who is the 'her' referred to then, and what is this 'mask of lies' that gets torn asunder?"  
>Dr Lopez paused in her deliberation to pour some water into a small bowl for Meggle.<p>

/**Thankyou Dr Lopez. I might just pop out to check if Steffi has managed to get to sleep, I swear that girl rebels against common sense just for something to do**/

.

Dr Lopez watched the small kitten drink her fill and then go ask Song Lee to carry her to Steffi's room.

"If someone had told me this time last week that the best nurse I would ever work with would turn out to be a four month old ginger kitten, I would have had them committed."

"Please don't tell her that to her face, "Lord Tubbington said, "Her ego is already far too well developed for her own good. Now she can talk, she's going to prove insufferable. If only her mother were still around to exercise some parental control."

"You sound as if you know her well Lord Tubbington?" Carole smiled as she moved a few of the prophecies around.

.

"I should, "Lord Tubbington said stiffly, "She is my daughter after all."


	44. Gods and Monsters

**A/N: Well, things are certainly moving in my life - not all for the better, and it made getting this chapter tamed quite hard!**

**Thankyou so much for the reviews and messages - it really does make me feel so motivated to keep going, despite the foibles of life!**

**HINT - reviews are like pacman fruits to a struggling writer!**  
><strong>This is another longer chapter, with several different groups in several different locations, just draw up a flow chart or a timeline if you get confused.<strong>

**Also, a bit of a warning - I touched on some very deep, very DARK things here, but only a touch. Noting is actually described, or even said "on camera".  
>It's left up to YOU to infer what happened to make those words I did use have so much tension behind them.<br>It's a scene with Steffi and Paul talking in the park, if you feel it might be a trigger for you, please skip ahead to the next section.  
><strong>

**So many people are stressing out or offering guesses for the prohpecies! Just remember, the best prophecy acts as a signpost AFTER the event, so you can go, "Oh, that was the significant happening!" - I'll tell you for free, only a couple of them have happened so far, and one of those happened WAY before this particulare story began. (there's a hint!)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a theatre, a restaurant or a kelpie. I do own a large market umbrella. All four of these are mentioned in the story. :)  
>(see if you can work out what the kelpie is)<strong>_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

The first thing Rachel noticed was that Blaine's biceps were seriously straining the material of his T-shirt.

.  
>She stood, admiring them for a moment.<p>

Less than a second later, her brain finally received the full message from her eyes and she let out a gasp of concern.  
>"Oh my God! Is he alright? What happened? Do you need me to call...?"<p>

"He just fainted Rachel, it was shock."  
>Quinn walked over to Rachel and led her to a nearby chair as Blaine picked Kurt up from the floor and carried him to the same couch.<p>

"Did he hit his...?"

"Are you kidding me? You've seen how fast Blaine can move. I almost missed it because I blinked. Kurt's boy has some serious speed on him!"  
>Mike Chang almost looked jealous.<p>

.

"I told him he was working too hard. "

Rachel was biting her lip as Blaine laid the slowly stirring form of his boyfriend down on the couch.

She reached out and let Blaine rest Kurt's head on her lap as Blaine knelt on the floor next to them, his eyes filled with concern.

"He's fine Blaine." Quinn sighed, "He just had a shock, he does this sometimes. It used to be a problem when he was in the Cheerios, but now he has you he doesn't even need to worry about his clothes getting dusty."

"He needs to eat something too, "Blaine murmured, "I've tried to find a way to relax him enough so he could keep something down. He's all nerves and tension with the rehearsals and all, and as the concert gets closer he's just stopped eating. I managed to get him to nibble on something last night, at least, but I know it's not enough."

Puck and Jeff exchanged a salacious look and Jeff began to reach for his wallet.

Blaine rolled his eyes at them as he noticed.  
>"Oh please, give me a break guys! That was not a reference to anything. Grow up!"<p>

.

"Blaine?"  
>Kurt sounded quite wobbly still.<p>

"I'm here Kurt."

Poppy, the stage manager, found her breath catching in her chest as she watched the handsome dark-haired boy gently brush his hand along the cheekbone of the pale skinned counter-tenor.  
>It was so damned beautiful, she thought, that much love should be illegal.<p>

Her eyes rolled as she realised what she had just thought. In too many places it was illegal! She shook her head slightly, if those haters could just see the love these two boys practically radiated...

.

"Rachel!"  
>Kurt sounded surprised as he finally identified the face that shared his field of vision with Blaine's.<p>

"Hey Kurt!" Rachel said brightly, "You gave me a shock you know."

Kurt's eyes widened.  
>"Has anyone...no, of course they haven't. You wouldn't be sitting here calmly if they had..."<p>

"Kurt, honey, you aren't making sense." Blaine stole a small kiss as he looked into Kurt's eyes.

"Ok, what is happening here?" Julie Taymor was walking towards them her face growing concerned as she saw the pale form of Kurt.

"I told Kurt about the change Jules, and he..."  
>Poppy made a gesture to indicate fainting.<p>

"Oh."

Kurt was sitting up.  
>"Ms Taymor, might I suggest...I think it would be much better if you got Rachel to sing with her instead."<p>

Everyone looked at the pair in confusion, although it was obvious that Julie and Poppy knew exactly what Kurt was talking about.

.

"I thought you'd be excited to..."

"I am. I mean, I would be, but much as I love her, Rachel is the one who worships her."

Rachel was frowning as she tried to read between the lines.

"Should we tell her then?" Julie made a snap decision and smiled at Kurt.

"Well, now would be a good time, she is sitting down."

"Tell me what?" Rachel was confused to say the least.

Julie smiled.  
>"You know how I told you about singing that song from Cabaret with Liza?"<p>

Rachel nodded.

"Well, since I said that, things have changed. Liza has caught the same flu the rest of the old cast have, so she's not going to make it, but I had thought Kurt might like to sing a duet via satellite with someone."

Now everyone looked lost.

.

"We're hooking up links with other concerts and events all over the country, on every network, even on youtube and the net. Someone had a bright idea for a nation-wide media event, and it's gone like wildfire. I thought Kurt might like the chance to sing with one of his idols who will be performing in Los Angeles that night. Kurt it seems, has other ideas, and thinks you should sing the song instead."

"Me? Who is it...what is... how do I... I...what if I don't know the song?"  
>Rachel was in a flap now.<p>

"Trust me you know the song Rachel." Kurt drawled, "I suspect you were born singing it."

"If I tell you, do you promise not to faint?" Julie looked concerned.

"Or scream!" Kurt added.

Rachel nodded solemnly.

Quinn suddenly gasped as she worked out who Kurt was hinting at, and she knelt beside Rachel to offer her a supportive shoulder.

"Barbra has offered to share the performance of her signature..."  
>Julie began.<p>

"Don't Rain on My Parade, Rachel! You get to sing it with her!"  
>Kurt couldn't keep it in another moment.<p>

.

Rachel stopped breathing for a second, and then with supreme effort she smiled gently.  
>"Oh, that will be wonderful. Now, if you would excuse me, I think I need to..."<p>

She nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

"Quinn, please help me!" She whispered as she rose shakily to her feet.

Quinn smiled at the watching group.  
>"I need to freshen up a little too, can I borrow some powder Rachel? I left my compact at the hotel."<br>Nobody noticed her arm around Rachel was holding the girl up, and not just a friendly gesture.

"Four more minutes, then another hour of rehearsals and then lunch, ok people?"  
>Poppy was back in SM mode.<p>

.

.

Rachel and Quinn walked to the nearby bathroom, Santana and Brittany slipped in behind them.

"Are you really ok Rachel?" Quinn asked.

"I think I might need to..." Rachel's eyes rolled back and her head began a violent trip to the floor.

Santana caught her.

"I knew she'd do that." Santana huffed as she lowered Rachel down gently on the floor of the bathroom. Santana smiled down at her, something she'd never done before.

"I thought she was handling it well." Quinn sighed.

"It's hard to keep it together when all your dreams suddenly come true, "Santana whispered.

Quinn's eyes narrowed and she noticed how Brittany's hand had just naturally slipped into Santana's as they both sat on the floor beside Rachel.

"I didn't even have to make a wish!" Brittany smiled.

Quinn smiled too.

.

"Come on, "said Santana, "Let's pour some water on 'man hands' here and wake her up before she starts thinking I care or something."

"Too late." Rachel was smiling up at the three Cheerios. "I'm so happy for you Santana. You two are going to make each other so happy!"

Santana smiled slightly, as if the expression was painful to her.

"I still don't like you Berry!"

"That's ok, I can deal with that."

"And I'm still a judgemental bitch."

"I can deal with that too."

Santana shuffled to her feet as Rachel was helped up by Quinn.

"Hey, Santana, "Rachel began, "I'm going to be really busy rehearsing my new song, so I think I might need to get you to replace me in the lead for 'Loser Like Me', think you can handle it?"

Santana sniffed disdainfully.  
>"Please bitch, I can sing that song better than you can any day of the week, and without trying to deafen the people in the front four rows either!"<p>

.

Quinn and Brittany made eye contact and both started to smile.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Burt and John shared a look of understanding and mutual exasperation as their wives tried on yet another pair of shoes.

.

"Honey, you look lovely in them, but are they going to be practical?" Burt regretted saying anything even as the words were leaving his mouth.

"They're Manolo Blahniks Burt, they aren't meant to be practical!"

"I just meant... where would you wear them?"

"It might mean you start taking me to some nicer places to dance, ever think of that Mr Hummel?"  
>Carole's eyes twinkled as she teased him.<p>

"They are on the pricey side for something you might only wear once or twice dear..." John Anderson's voice trailed away as he saw the look his wife was giving them.

"What about these? I can see me visiting my patients in these, can't you?"  
>Dr Lopez was stretching out a long leg to admire the diamante encrusted stiletto with the six inch heel. "I decided against the eight inch heel, these are deadly enough."<p>

.

"Never get between a woman and a pair of shoes, "a man with about twenty bags draped over his arms whispered to them as he waited for his wife to try on another pair, "Just smile and nod and try not to cry when the time comes to pay the bill."

"I should be used to this, "Burt rumbled, "I've been buying fancy shoes for years."

"You guys been married a long time then?" The stranger nodded towards Carole, who had joined Elaine in admiration of a pair of Christian Louboutins.

"No, we've been married less than a year actually."

"So it was your ex you kept in fancy shoes then?" The man seemed sympathetic.

"No, "Burt answered without really thinking, "My kid. He asked for his first pair of heels when he was three, it's been non-stop since then. I thought I understood an obsession with shoes, but the girls are even..."

"Did you say 'he'?" The man didn't seem disgusted or angry, just curious.

Burt was apprehensive nonetheless.

.

"Yeah, my son. He's a real fashion plate, even designs and makes his own clothes sometimes, and spends every cent he earns working for me on designer this or that. Genuine articles only mind you! I may be the only guy in Lima who actually knows how to tell an original Alexander McQueen from a cheap knock-off."

The stranger smiled shyly and extended a hand.

"My name's Timothy, and I feel your pain. My daughter does the same thing. What do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking, you just don't seem like..."

"The kind of guy who is into fashion? I'm not. "Burt shook hands with him, "My name's Burt, Burt Hummel. I'm a mechanic actually. I own a tire and lube place back in Ohio. It's my son who is the fashion expert."

"He and my daughter should meet."

"Um..."Burt hesitated for only a second, "I don't think Kurt's boyfriend would like me setting him up with strangers."

"Oh, he's...and in Ohio? That must be really hard for him."

.

"He's had his struggles, but he's a really amazing kid, braver than me, stronger than anyone I know."

Tim looked at the pride shining from Burt's eyes.  
>"You need to be strong to be out in this world. I...my brother was like your son, but he never made it."<p>

Burt's face must have betrayed his feelings.

"It's ok, he just gave up one day. The bastards finally got him at a low point. I was about fifteen, and my mom had to call me home from school to tell me my brother had been found by his roommate in his college dorm. I'm glad the world has changed a little since then. It's still not safe or welcoming, but your son will have more chances than Ronnie had, and maybe the world will change a little more by the time he has kids of his own. That is of course if he..."

"I don't know if he and Blaine have discussed that far ahead yet, but knowing the two of them I suspect they have names and schools already picked out. I just know that the world is going to change, and my boy is going to be right there changing it."

Tim chuckled at the way Burt's pride in his son made his chest puff out as he spoke.

"You know...New York has legalised..."

.

Burt chuckled too.  
>"So everyone keeps telling us. I hope the boys are listening. They may be young, but any fool who looks at them for even a few minutes can see, this is the real deal."<p>

John joined the conversation while Carole and Elaine paid for the assorted purchases.

"What are we talking about? Hi, I'm John Anderson."

"Timothy Morris, we were talking about..." Tim looked towards Burt for a cue.

"John, did you know New York has now legalised..."

"Oh God, not again! "John laughed, "Will it never end. "

"You know Burt's son then?"

"I'm getting to know him. I'd better get to know him well. It's my son he's going to marry."

"Have they set the date?"

"They are a little young still, but I agree with Burt, it's only a matter of time. I'm thinking months rather than years, maybe even weeks? I suspect one or the other of them has a plan already. My money is on Kurt to ask Blaine. I love my son dearly, but sometimes he is even more oblivious than I am, and I thought I was the world champion at being dense."

"You are sweetie!" Elaine kissed him on the cheek.

.

"Burt honey, we need to get a move on if we want to make it to the park to meet Steffi and Paul for the picnic." Carole was flushed with the excitement of spending three months salary in less than twenty seconds.

"Well, great to meet you guys. Hey, if you need a venue for a wedding, I work at a little place near a park in Chelsea. I could do you a good deal if you don't want to go the whole cliché of a Central Park wedding." He handed them a business card.

"Cliché? I don't know whether Kurt would run a mile or leap to embrace that cliché, he's unpredictable like that." Carole was smiling fondly at the thought.

"Well the park is going to be impossible for the next few days anyway, "Tim laughed, "What with the screens and the crowd control and all."

"Screens? What...?" Burt was confused.

"The concert! They're organising a huge rock concert in the park for July Fourth, plus they are beaming some of the footage from the big Broadway show at Radio City they've been talking about for days live to the screens they're setting up. It's going to be huge! I heard they got Gaga to headline. Oh, she's..."

"I know who Gaga is, "Burt laughed, "Kurt plays her almost nonstop."

"It's a free concert. They're taking donations for charity though. Would you like to come with me and my family? My wife is in charge of the security staff for the event. She can reserve us a place to watch from. I know my daughter is getting there early to make sure she picks a good spot."

"We're already going to the show at Radio City, "Carole said, "But we do have some friends coming from Ohio to see the show. I'm sure they'd love it if you could find them a place to watch the show from."

"No problems, "Tim smiled, "How did you score tickets to that show? I heard they sold out weeks ago."

"We know some of the cast." Elaine said giggling.

.

Tim nodded and smiled back and waved them off as they left to grab their picnic baskets from the hotel.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Rehearsal had been ended before an hour had passed.

.

Nobody complained though, they were all tired and a chance to break early was welcomed, even by those who were still stressing out about the rapidly approaching opening night.

"Who are all these people?" Puck asked as he and Lauren changed into the clean clothes Kurt had wisely suggested everyone bring. Kurt was well aware of how sweaty one could become rehearsing in the venue. Despite its huge size and amazing glamour, Radio City still had quite primitive rehearsal space, and the management didn't feel the need to turn the expensive air-conditioning on for just a rehearsal.

"No idea, "Finn puffed as he pulled his dry shirt over his body.

"They are everywhere, "Dave Karofsky muttered as he came out of the showers, "I think they might be security, or secret service or something like that."

"Whoa dude! " Puck whistled in appreciation as Dave walked past him, "Amazing ink! When did you get that done? I'm sure I'd have remembered if I'd spotted that in the showers after a game!"

Dave turned to look at Puck blankly.

"Not that I ever looked of course man. I mean, I... just I would have spotted, in...in passing if..."

Dave smiled, "It's ok Puckerman. I know I'm a real guy magnet, but...what the hell are you talking about?"

"The tattoo on your back, it's awesome!"

"It is pretty impressive, "One of the Warblers, Dave thought his name was Jon, was admiring his upper body from behind, "If I weren't straight... Jeff is one lucky son of a bitch. I always knew he'd land his dream man one day."

"I'm the lucky one." Dave smiled sheepishly.

.

"Who got lucky?" Wes called out as he raced into the room to change.

"Jeff." Jon replied.

Wes stopped in his tracks.  
>"Please tell me you are not discussing Jeff Sterling's sexual..."<p>

"I mean, he got lucky to have met Dave!" Jon was blushing.

"Oh, yes." Wes was embarrassed now, "I must admit Dave, I was shocked when we heard about you and Jeff, but I suppose it was fate wasn't it? You certainly match the sketches he disfigured the work journal we had to share last year in English. Physically I mean, and now I've met you, I can understand why he fell for you. He's always been a real sucker for a big heart wrapped up in big muscles."

Puck snickered.  
>"Dude, you said..."<p>

"Guys please!" Dave said loudly, a shamed blush and a slight smile warring on his face, "I'm wearing a towel here."

.

"Love the tattoo!" Artie said as he was wheeled through the door by Sam.

"I don't have...what the hell is everyone staring at?"

"Dude, look in the mirror!" Finn said gently.

Dave half turned so he could see his back in the mirror.

"Oh my..."

"Are you allowed to blaspheme dude? I mean, if you're angel and..." Jon stopped in mid sentence as Dave stared harder at the huge tattoo of a pair of wings which graced his back now and suddenly the tattoo moved and Dave's real wings shimmered into existence.

"Wow, I've never seen how it happens!" Dave said quietly as he spread his wings out wide.

.

"Does it hurt?" Sam asked.

"Not anymore."

"Can you really stop bullets with them?" Asked Wes.

"How do they get through your shirt without tearing it?" Jon asked.

"Does it hurt when you take other peoples' wounds and stuff?" Finn asked gently.

"Like a bitch."

.

Artie looked as if he wanted to ask a question but had changed his mind.  
>Dave knelt down to speak privately to him.<p>

"I already tried Artie, "He whispered, "When I saw you the first time after this had happened. I tried but I just couldn't... reach the injury. I'm so sorry man."

Artie smiled sadly and fist bumped him.  
>"No sweat bro! I would miss my wheels too much anyway!"<p>

.

Puck decided to lighten the mood again.  
>"Hey Dave, does Jeff get off on you being able to offer him a feathery bed every time you guys..."<p>

Dave's left wing reached out and head-slapped the grinning teen. It would have been perfect if Dave's towel hadn't slipped at the same moment.

Everyone in the dressing room was blinded slightly and loose papers and dust blew up from the floor as Dave's wings snapped in front and behind him, like a cross between a wrestler and a fan-dancer.

.

"Heads up boys, the guys in the black suits are..."  
>Jeff Sterling blinked as he took in the naked, still wet body of his boyfriend, hidden only by his wings, standing on his rumpled towel and blushing furiously in the middle of the room.<p>

"Someone catch Jeff, I think he's stopped breathing." Puck teased, but he still moved to join Sam in preparation for such an eventuality.

.

"We have to get a move on guys, they want us to clear the building by...oh my Gaga!"  
>Kurt stood blinking at the naked Dave also.<p>

.

"Kurt? What's the..."

Blaine also stopped moving.

.

"Well, I guess we can at least say we may have discovered the definitive test for sexuality. Beats a stupid scarf any day I reckon. I guess if you're up that end of the Kinsey scale you just can't help being struck senseless by a naked angel standing on a wet towel." Puck sniggered as he made his remark.

Puck proceeded to explain how the scale came into being and how it worked.

.

"How on earth do you know about the Kinsey scale?" Wes asked incredulously.

"Hey, I'm dumb, but I'm also a badass sex-shark. It's about sex, so I know about it."

"Well, I'm guessing that anyone above a four is going to react to a dripping wet..."  
>Jeff stopped as he realised he was speaking about his boyfriend.<p>

"So Jeff? You claim to be a five? "Artie was amused.

"Kurt? Blaine?" Artie asked archly.

"We're both one hundred percent gay, right sweetie?"

"Uhhuh!" Kurt seemed to have forgotten how to blink, "Dave... I should never, ever have called you..."

.

"Could everyone stop ogling the naked gay angel and pass me my clothes? Please?"

"Be patient Dave, this is science here!" Puck smirked. "Finn, I know you're a zero, Artie?"

"Put me down for a one, but on the high end."

"I'm a one too, "Jon chuckled, "Although I do have to admit a slight envy for those Pecs, you have to give me your workout routine man!"

"I like to identify as a one I guess, "Sam mumbled, "But I suppose I'm a bit twoish. I know some people seem to get mixed signals from it."  
>He smiled slightly at Kurt and his cheeks flushed.<p>

.

"What about you Puckerman?" Kurt was starting to snap out of his daze.

"I always thought I was a solid two, but I have to say... I'm developing some serious fractions here."

"Dude! Please, just pass me my shorts at least!"

"Wesley?" Blaine raised a brow in perfect imitation of Kurt, "You're remarkably quiet."

"I have a girlfriend Blaine! "Wesley snarled through gritted teeth as he moved to where Dave had left his things.

"So that rules out the upper end..."

"You know perfectly well I have no intention of answering your extremely personal questions, so please give them up!"

_._

_I'd say that means he's a definite three, Blaine, wouldn't you?_

_Kurt, I've met his new girlfriend. He's had four in the time since you asked if we were all gay that day we met, you remember? I give this one till the end of July, tops. Eventually our perfect three here and his almost constant companion, David, also a perfect three by the way, are going to embrace their threedom and have..._

_...hot passionate six?_

_I was going to say an epiphany, but you have such a way with dirty puns Kurt..._

_Well, I may not be a three, but this six would love to go to third with you tonight..._

_Kurt!_

.

"Is it just me or is it kind of freaky when they do that?" Artie said as they watched Blaine blush and Kurt smile for no apparent reason.

"Try living with it in your house man!" Finn moaned.

The boys had forgotten Dave's predicament as they stared at Blaine and Kurt, who were staring at each other, alternately blushing and smiling at each other.

"Does the hobbit still sleep on the..." Puck asked.

"No, Burt actually carried him up to Kurt's room one night. They've slept together since that. It's... it makes me kind of...happy inside, you know?"

.

A perfunctory knock on the dressing room door was all the warning the boys had.

Kurt reached for his power and hid Dave's form from view, gesturing to him to hurry up and get dressed.

As the men in suits began to check windows and doors Dave finally managed to get his shorts on, and then, at a particularly eloquent gesture from Kurt, retreated into the shower room to make his 'entrance'.

.

A few minutes later everyone was off to explore the lunch spots of Times Square and surrounds. The best part was that they couldn't return to the theatre until three, and when they did the air-conditioning would be running and switched on.

.

The first of the celebrity guests would be rehearsing with them this afternoon.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Thanks for staying behind to mind the baby machine Mr K!"

.

Paul Karofsky smiled at the young girl as he set the umbrella the hotel had provided up to shade her from the summer sun.

"I must say you're coping very well with the fact that your only son is not only gay, but has recently come back from the dead as some sort of guardian angel. I'd be freaking out myself."

Paul smiled again, he recognised Steffi's attempt to get a rise out of him.

.

"When you have your child, Steffi, you'll learn that your love for them is not conditional on what they do, or what they are, it just is. I am proud of my son because he is caring and honest. I am pleased with my son because he is loving and kind. I am fond of my son because he is funny and clever. I am in awe of my son because he is brave and talented. But I love my son because he is my son. It's part of the job description. Even when he was at his worst last year, getting into fights, making death threats, picking on kids weaker than himself... I didn't like him very much, but I never stopped loving him. You'll see, it's part of being a parent. Even someone as young as you will find the strength to offer your child the love he or she deserves."

"I wish my dad had been like you. Hell, I wish my mom had been like you, beard and all!"

Paul laughed but he sensed a fragility in Steffi that none of the others had seen before, with the possible exception of that Fabray girl.

"Steffi, "He began so, so slowly, "I understand you don't want to talk about your past or your family. I also realise that you probably have some very personal and valid reasons for that. I just want you to know, that you can talk to me about anything if you feel it will make you feel better. I'm sure any of the other adults feel the same. I know that you and Quinn have had a chance to talk about some things already. But if you ever feel that you might like to talk to one of us, please, please, understand this. We're not your parents. We don't want to make decisions for you, or put you under any sort of pressure. Just know that, and I mean this from my heart, I am here to offer you any help or support you want or need. All you have to do is ask."

.

Steffi sat, wide eyed and very still.

The sun's position let them know the others were due soon.

"...I...my dad didn't kick me out."

.

Paul just nodded patiently and sat in the shade of the umbrella so he wasn't towering over the small girl any more.

"He... I had to leave. It wasn't...I wasn't..."

Still Paul said nothing, merely offering her his handkerchief to catch the tears which were making her mascara run.

"I wasn't..." Steffi seemed to find some inner strength, or perhaps she spotted another way to approach this inner demon.

.

"My mom is a pretty messed up broad ya know. I mean, she isn't on drugs or an alky or anything, but... she just doesn't really care about anything but her life and her world and her husband and her job and her..."

Paul reached into the bag he had brought with them and found a cold bottle of water.

"If she sees something she doesn't like, she just... she doesn't see it. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Paul nodded.

"I was supposed to be her little doll. She used to dress me up in fancy clothes and curl my hair, but not like in the movies or on TV where the mom does it because she loves her kid and she wants to spend time with them. She did it so that she could show off to the other moms. We entered pageants, you know, with tiaras and talent shows and..."

Steffi was shaking now.

.

"I hated it. I hated all the fussing and the tension. I hated the other kids, I hated their moms. I hated my..."

She swallowed deeply.

"You said you loved your son no matter what he might have done. Does that mean I have to love my... I don't know if I can. I just... There are some things you just can't forgive, or overlook, or forget..."

Paul felt the ground beginning to crumble away beneath him as he sat listening to Steffi's words.  
>He was beginning to get a very bad feeling.<p>

"So one day, I was about thirteen, I went to a hairdresser with my mom's credit card and got them to dye my hair black. Then I went straight to the store my mom used to almost run past to avoid being contaminated and I bought the eyeliner and the makeup and the clothes..."

Paul nodded his understanding.

"They wouldn't let me get piercings, they came later."

.

Steffi swigged a huge gulp of water.

"You should have seen her face. We were supposed to go to another stupid pageant the next day. She lost her entry fee, boy was she angry."

The Goth girl laughed dryly at her memories.

"She deserved it, bitch. She was supposed to love me for me. Not treat me like her little dolly. She was supposed to...to..."

.

Paul sat very still and watched the other people in their area of the park play and shout and run, while he felt his heart tearing in two for the pain this poor child beside him was still going through.

"You haven't ever mentioned your mother to anyone before have you Steffi? Why is that?" Paul's eyes widened suddenly as he heard the question he had just asked, 'Don't feel you have to..."

"Don't sweat it Mr K, I don't talk about her, I don't think about her because she was...is nothing. She never tried to hurt me. She never tried to help me either. In fact, she never tried to do anything, even when she should have."

.

Paul was beginning to see a terrible darkness looming in the girl's eyes.

"Can you handle this Mr K? "Steffi was looking at him with genuine concern now. It was such a change from her usual mask of disdain and aggression that Paul almost didn't recognise her.

He smiled wryly.  
>"I'm going to be as honest with you as you are being with me Steffi. I really don't know. But I'm willing to try if you are willing to risk it. I'm not the person I would have chosen to be the one you shared your troubles with, but I am willing to try."<p>

Steffi blinked, as if she had been expecting a more polished, glib response.

.

"Then let me tell you about how I got pregnant."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was watching Rachel almost explode with pleasure as she dipped her spoon back into the ice-cream sundae she was devouring.

.

"Oh my god Kurt, how did you ever find out about this place?" Wes was practically shivering with delight as he swallowed another spoon of his dessert. "You are a gift from the teapot dwarf Kurt. I'm leaving my girlfriend and marrying you!"

"Dave, honey, I'm sorry, but Wes is right. Kurt, you up for a three-way marriage, we'll let Blaine make it a foursome if you insist. You just have to promise that you'll share your intimate knowledge of New York eateries with us."  
>Jeff was licking chocolate off his fingers as he teased his boyfriend.<br>Dave pretended to be wounded through the heart, so Jeff let him lick the last couple of fingers for him.

"Oh my God! What is in the middle of that cake?" Dave rolled his eyes in pleasure.

"Miso! It's a cake with Miso and caramel in the middle! How cool is that?"

.

"Much as I would love to take the credit, I have to tell you guys that the real hero is Blaine's phone. It overheard us talking about the difficulties of finding good vegan and vegetarian cuisine when eating out and once it recognised from its GPS locator that we were less than a block from this place, it alerted Blaine to that fact."

"I must kiss your phone now, for it has led me to Kyotofu! "Rachel was reaching for Blaine's pockets.

"Steady on Berry! Nobody messes with my man, or the contents of his pockets except me!" Kurt put on a fierce Diva pose and growled softly.

.

Rachel laughed at him, but suddenly blinked in real shock.

'What?" Kurt was confused and looked behind him.

"You... your eyes changed for a second there. They were still glasz, but the whites turned to flames."

Kurt blushed and Blaine instinctively pulled him closer.

.

"Faggots!"

.

The man who had just walked into the restaurant was glaring at the two boys.

"Asshole!" Kurt murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the still open doors and pelted the man with rubbish and dust from the sidewalk.

"No! "Kurt said under his breath, "This is a restaurant, no rubbish on the floor!"

The wind blew even harder, turning the man about by sheer force and he hurtled back onto the street, the doors slamming shut behind him.  
>Through the closed doors, and the windows, the diners watched as newspapers, general rubbish, cigarette butts and assorted sticks and leaves were caught up by what looked like a freak windstorm until the man resembled a walking trash heap.<p>

.

There was silence in the restaurant for a few seconds, and then one of the patrons, an elderly man leant across the table, looking at Kurt and Blaine and smiled.

"It seems Mother Nature has a sense of justice. You boys go right ahead. If small minded little pieces of garbage like that man can't see that love is love, no matter what the gender involved, then I think the gutter is too good a place for him."

His wife nodded in agreement and smiled at the pair. Blaine still held Kurt's hand.

.

"You know boys, this city legalised marriage for all our citizens recently. It was a vote. That means that there are more of us than there are of them. You two stay strong, ok?"

Her eyes wandered over the rest of the small party Kurt had brought with him.

"You as well!" She smiled at Dave and Jeff who realised that they had instinctively moved into each other as the tension had broken out.

.

"We better get back to rehearsals!" Kurt smiled at the couple, and at the rest of the patrons who had all been nodding and smiling at their words.

"Oh, are you all in a show?" The man asked his eyes twinkling, "We're going to a show on Monday, at Radio City."

"That's the one we're in!" Rachel beamed at him, "Kurt and Blaine are the stars!"

"You are too Rachel." Kurt was blushing furiously now.

.

"Oh, now I can't wait to see it!" The old woman was beaming as if her life's dream had been completed. "You know the President is going to be there? It was announced this morning."

"That explains the men in suits." Wes nodded, "I can't wait to tell the others when we meet back up with them."

"Good luck with your performances kids, I'm looking forward to seeing you on that stage." The old woman was squeezing Blaine's hand now.

"Let's just hope that no more of those weird events put a stop to it all!" Said her husband.

"Or more bombings!" A man at a nearby table added.

.

"I wish the government would tell us what's going on, "Said another diner, "My sister lives up near the thousand islands, and she says that several people have just disappeared without trace since they started seeing strange lights out in the marshy areas at night."

"My Grandmother is Hungarian, "The waitress said, "She made me an amulet to protect me from harm, and 'draw zee powerful allies to me'!" Everyone laughed at the exaggerated accent she put on. "I didn't have the heart to tell her it's all nonsense, but I must admit it. I feel a lot safer when I have it near me. Something really scary is happening."

"You see it on the news, "the other waitress added, "For every story about miracle cures or that woman who foresaw the collapse of her apartment building and got everyone out in time, you have stories about dead bodies drained of blood or travellers disappearing from haunted houses and the like."

"I think we need to pray for a miracle," A woman in a red dress said quietly.

"But who to?" Another man asked, "Who is going to answer a prayer like that?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine!" The old woman let go of Blaine's hands and smiled at him and Kurt. "So long as we help each other and listen to the love in our hearts, we'll be fine."

.

"Well, I for one am listening!" Kurt smiled at her and dragged his boyfriend and their friends out to meet the others for some shopping before they had to be back to rehearse

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

When Dr Lopez, Burt and the other parents arrived at their pre-arranged picnic spot they found Steffi clinging tightly to the red-faced form of Paul Karofsky as if she were drowning at sea and he was the last life-raft.

.

Both of them had obviously been crying,

Paul's arms were almost delicately placed around the shaking girl as she sighed and leant against his solid strength in silence.

"Steffi? Paul?" Carole's voice was soft and perfectly gentle.

.

Paul raised his reddened eyes and smiled sadly.

"Are you alright my dear?" Dr Lopez was kneeling beside them as they sat on the grass in the shade.

.

"I'm fine." Steffi whispered, "I'm...I'll be fine."

"What happened Paul?" John Anderson asked quietly.

.

Paul Karofsky's face darkened as a look of sheer anger and hatred crossed his face, followed immediately by sadness and worry.

He turned to Steffi who sat beside him with Dr Lopez checking on her physical well being, and that of the baby.

She looked him in the eye.

"I'm...I'm fine... it isn't my place to..."

.

"You can tell them Mr K, "Steffi's voice sounded softer and gentler than anyone had ever heard before, "I know what it's like trying to keep that stuff inside. I don't want it to eat you up like it has me. I can't... I can't say it again, not yet, you tell them please?"

Paul Karofsky nodded solemnly.

.

Before he could speak, a scream was heard from the pond their picnic spot overlooked.

.

Turning, they saw a group of people standing on the shores of the shallow pond, watching in horror as a small boy, riding what looked like a black-haired pony with a dripping wet mane, rode past them, splashing into the middle of the lake.

The boy's eyes were wide and frightened, and the horse seemed to deliberately be heading for the centre of the small lake.

.

"Burt, "Carole cried out, "He's stuck to it, look. He can't take his hands off its neck!"

They all stood watching as the boy, who couldn't have been more than six years old, screamed in terror. The horse he was stuck to seemed to be moving towards the deeper parts of the lake.

.

Burt was no longer with them.

He appeared, waist deep in the lake, next to the horse and the small, terrified boy.

At close quarters Burt could see the skin of the horse was also wet, but not from the water of the pond. It seemed more like seal-skin than horse. A cold, slimy wetness almost seemed to ooze from its surface.

The smell was wrong too.

Burt was a mechanic, but he had also grown up near the countryside.  
>He knew what a real horse should smell like.<p>

This...thing smelled like rot and swamp gas and...Blood.

Old, stale, sour, blood.

.

The 'horse' flared its nostrils at him and bared its teeth.  
>They were sharp and jagged, like a shark.<br>The smell almost made Burt want to faint.

"Thought you were safe out here did you?" Burt snarled, moving to stand between the creature and the deeper waters. "Guess again."

Burt reached out to grasp what looked like a bridle only to realise his mistake as his fingers stuck to it as if it were glue.

He couldn't open his hand.

The 'horse's' eyes flashed in triumph.

.

Burt snarled and gave a wry grin.  
>"Think you've won do you? You're some sort of freaky <em>Faerie<em> creature I suppose. Well, unfortunately for you, there are three reasons you aren't going to win. First, I've been having a few late night phone conversations with my son's friend's cat recently."

The creature began to drag Burt and the boy towards the deep water.

"Second, "Burt grunted as he tried to slow its progress, "My wife had more than one wish. She wished for me to be able to get where I need to be, but she also wished that I would always be able to get my hands on my tools when I needed them, and my tools...some of them are made of IRON."

The horse found itself being dragged into shallower water by the man.  
>Burt was somehow stronger than he had ever been in his life.<br>He was also suddenly holding a large, steel, pipe wrench.

"And for her third wish? It turns out, she always had a thing for superhero movies when she was a teenager."

.

With that Burt Hummel grabbed the creature by its neck and lifted it out of the water, the wrench in his other hand slamming into its skull.

"You'll be alright in a minute son." He grunted as his arms flexed and his shirt sleeve tore slightly. The wrench was stuck to the creature, so Burt let go of the tool and closed his fingers around the ballpein hammer that appeared in his palm.

"Now, I'm not normally a violent man, "He let the hammer smash into the furious creature, let go of the tool and reached for a large monkey-wrench. "But I am more than willing to make an exception for anything that preys on innocent children!"

.

The boy suddenly flew from the creature's back as it writhed and changed form.

The blows from the iron tools seemed to have maddened it, but it was still full of fight.

As Burt reached up with 'Blaine-like' reflexes and snatched the sobbing boy from mid-air, the horse transformed into a writhing mass of tentacles and tooth-filled maws.

Burt paled, half turning so he could aim the throw that would at least get the child to safety.

He sensed a flash of movement to his side and heard loud splashing as a figure ran past him, shouting, wielding some sort of shiny-tipped lance.

There was a thud, a squelch and a bubbling shriek.  
>The mass of tentacles shuddered once and sank beneath the surface of the pond, already beginning to rot and decay.<p>

.

Paul Karofsky stood, red-faced and struggling for breath. He leant on the metal-tipped wooden shaft of the large picnic umbrella he had just used to run the creature through.

"So...Burt..." He wheezed, feeling his heart racing beneath his ribs, "You've decided to join the Superhero club it would seem."

Burt was still cradling the young boy as he reached a hand out to help Paul to the side of the pond.

People were already gathering on the shore, pointing and shouting. Someone started a cheer.

"Oh crap!"Burt hissed as he saw the cameras and mobile phones pointed towards them.

The boy in his arms giggled.  
>"You swored!"<p>

"I know son, and I shouldn't have done that. I'm going to have to make sure I don't get any dessert with my supper tonight as a punishment. You remember that, ok? Swearing is not a nice thing to do. The only exception is when you hit your thumb with a hammer, then it's ok."

.

The small boy nodded seriously as Paul tried hard to combine stifling a laugh with trying to catch a breath.

"And no more riding on strange horses, promise?"

.

The boy held his fingers up in the cub-scout salute.  
>"I promise sir. Could you help me find my mom and dad now? I know I'm not supposed to talk to strangers as well as everything else, but you're sort of like a policeman aren't you? I'm allowed to talk to them if I get lost."<p>

"He's just like a policeman son, "Paul Karofsky smiled as Burt's cheeks took on a deep, brilliant red.

.

"Oh, that's where Kurt gets that from! I'd always assumed it was his mother."


	45. I'll Be Your Candle On The Water

**A/N: Hi all. Another week has passed and I managed to not die, so here is my celebration! Another chapter.**

**Things are getting fairly hectic, so those of you who have enjoyed the action pieces, get set for a doozy!**  
><strong>Thanks to everyone who messaged or reviewed, especially after the last chapter - poor Steffi, I feel so sad for her, thank goodness she has people around her who will protect her and love her now.<strong>

**Feel free to review again! Please...(attempts not to sound too pathetic and fails)  
>One of the moments in this chapter happened write itself quite suddenly. I was rewriting and spellchecking as per usual, when suddenly my fingers started typing frantically of their own accord and an image popped into my mind. The image and the words that were appearing were so heartbreakingly beautiful that I just sat there and let my bunny use my fingers directly.<strong>

**For those who want to see a sort of version of what I saw - do some net seraching to see images of _La Pieta_ (by Michelangelo), _Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss_ (by Antonio Canova) and _The Kiss_ (by Auguste Rodin) - all of which I have seen in real life. (and very pretty they are too, and moving) (not LITERALLY moving of course, they are statues. The Pieta is actually HUGE!)  
><strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, New York, Radio City, Barbra Streisand or Evil Fairies. I do own a blazer though!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

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Blaine had only worried for about twenty four seconds whether sudden wealth would change the boy he loved.

.

As his father had given his estimation of the inheritance from Great-Grandmother Felicity, an estimation which proved to be whole orders of magnitude lower than the reality, Blaine had worried that Kurt might go...a little crazy.

He had swiftly realised that although he might seem to the outside observer to be both vain and materialistic, Kurt actually didn't take anything material that seriously.

Everyone, Blaine included, had been subject to the withering glares, the venomous tongue lashings or the downright frightening Diva fits that Kurt would sometimes unleash when somebody damaged or rumpled his amazing wardrobe.  
>Many people, in Lima and even in Westerville, had watched in strange awe as the slender, pale-skinned youth with the amazing hair had swept through their respective shopping areas on sales day like all four horsemen of the Apocalypse rolled into one fashionable package.<br>Kurt's closest friends and family would have all sworn bible oaths, religious persuasions not forbidding, that the young man was both a Diva and addicted to the shallow and somewhat fickle world of fashion.

They would have been totally correct.

They would also have been totally wrong.

.

Blaine had seen Kurt cry when someone had spilled taco sauce on the sleeve of his Dolce and Gabbana trench coat.

He had also seen Kurt tearing his favourite shirt into bandages after Flint, one of the Warblers, had had a terrible accident while attempting to prove what a skateboard wizard he was.  
>Everyone, even Wes, had panicked.<br>Kurt had simply removed his linen over-shirt and torn it into strips with which to begin binding Flint's obviously snapped wrist.

Blaine had realised that day that Kurt used his fashion the way other people used their cars, or their sporting prowess.

He wore it as armour, protection from the world's cruelties.  
>He wore it as a weapon, as a way to make those lesser beings who tried to pull him down to the level of the ordinary, aware that he, Kurt Hummel was far from mundane and boring.<br>He used it as a way to keep score in the game of life.

The day Kurt had, without hesitation or regret, destroyed his favourite outfit to help a friend, Blaine had come to the realisation that Kurt really, truly meant it when he said money had no importance to him.

.

During his time at Dalton, Blaine had always worried that Kurt would feel left out or alienated by the economic status of the majority of the boys.

Not that everyone was a multi-millionaire or anything, but most of the students came from fairly well off families. Dalton wasn't cheap.

Many of the students had trust funds that made more in annual interest than Kurt's father made in a year of running his business.

Blaine had always assumed that Kurt was simply telling him little white lies when he said that he didn't really care about missing out on the field trip to Paris with the French class, or had to buy his Chemistry text books second hand and struggle with the numerous (and mostly totally wrong) notes the previous owner had thoughtfully left crammed into every blank space in the book. (And some that weren't so blank, for weeks Kurt had wondered if element number ninety-five really was 'buymilkium')

Watching Kurt shop had been the first moment of realisation.

Kurt was fiercely competitive, almost rabid in his pursuit of what he wanted.

He looked for specific items, no wandering aimlessly.  
>He searched for bargains, sales and two-for-one offers.<p>

He would pore over every possible purchase, looking for quality, value for money. Making sure the item would last as long as he would need it, that it was well made and durable.

If he found an imperfection or blemish he would weigh it up carefully, before either rejecting the item, or taking the object, usually clothing, to the sales staff and using the small tear or missed stitch as a bargaining point to get himself a reduction in the price.

Kurt was a master of the 'how about I round everything up to an even two hundred dollars and you throw the belt and those shoes in too?' strategy.

.

Kurt loved his game, he loved his clothes, but he hadn't even hesitated the day Flint had needed bandages.

He hadn't hesitated to pass some of his less 'out there' items over to Sam when he had needed new clothes, even lying to the boy by telling him that 'he couldn't possibly wear some of these things again, they just weren't right for his new colour palette'.

Blaine knew that at least one of the jackets Kurt had given away was a particular favourite.  
>He had actually confronted Kurt about it, reminding his boyfriend that he had once described that jacket as 'like a warm pair of arms you can just slip on when you feel you need a hug'.<p>

Kurt had agreed, saying 'Don't you think Sam might need a hug now and then too?'

.

Blaine thought he knew the depths of compassion in Kurt's soul, he had realised that day that he had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

So when Blaine discovered that he had the means to make Kurt richer than any other human being on the planet, Blaine hadn't worried about the wealth changing Kurt for longer than it had taken him to recall the torn shirt becoming soaked in Flint's blood.

Blaine was now watching his boyfriend, and Kurt's three best girlfriends, shop their way to a veritable frenzy.

_._

_You do realise Kurt that you don't have to hunt for a bargain quite so assiduously, don't you?_

_I do not know of what you speak Mr Anderson._

_Are you giving me lip Hummel?_

_I haven't said a thing, Gooferson!_

_You do know we could buy this entire store, hell, the entire building without even blinking._

_Where's the fun in that though?_

_What on earth is Rachel doing? Please tell me you haven't let her off her leash?_

_She's headed for the kids section again hasn't she?_

_Go stop her my darling, I'm going to find Wes and the others and wait for you out front, we only have thirty minutes before we need to get back, ok?_

_Ok, I've got my card, we'll be fine, go get me a coffee my love, please. I'll only be another five minutes here._

.

"Step away from the romper suit Berry! Just keep your hands off the corduroy and nobody will get hurt."

Blaine smiled as he heard Kurt's ferocious command, followed by a whine of protest from Rachel.

.

"Hey there Handsome! Did you need a hand?" The voice was breathless and female and before he even turned around Blaine knew what he was about to see.

"Are you here shopping for your sister or mother? "The sales assistant was blonde, about nineteen and more than slightly flirting. "I'm Megan, could I interest in something in ladies wear?"  
>She brushed a highly manicured hand across her simple, too tight, dress, blatantly indicating that she was the something she hoped he would be interest in.<p>

Blaine blinked at the high powered flirting, he hadn't had a girl quite this forward in a long time.

"That's really sweet of you, "He began, his charming smile already trying to soften the blow his words were about to deliver, "But actually..."

"Oh my god, look at those two, how ridiculous!" Megan was looking down the aisle of the store to where Rachel and Kurt were arguing over a bright pink trench coat.

"...Rachel, even I couldn't pull off a colour this bold. God couldn't pull this colour off. If you insist on buying this I will be forced to..."

"The hag should listen to her fag, "Megan said almost absently, "I'll give them that, they usually do have good taste in fashion."

Blaine blinked in shock.  
>"I'm sorry? What did you say?"<p>

"Oh dear, she's a friend of yours isn't she? I don't know what I am saying half the time. I get distracted by hot guys like you so easily. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Thanks for the apology, but wouldn't it be better to direct it to the people you just insulted?"

Megan blinked as if Blaine had just spoken in tongues.

.

"They didn't hear me. It's not like I'd call him that to his face. I'd lose my job. Besides, we get a lot of them in here. I don't have a problem with fags, I just wish they'd stop trying to take rights away from us normal people."

Blaine was both fascinated and disturbed by the casual cruelty in her thinking.

"What rights?"

"You know they managed to get their way with the marriage act don't you? I think it's just wrong. For countless centuries the marriage vows have been a sacred pact between a man and a woman, witnessed and sanctified by God, and now, anyone can go get a marriage license and say they're normal. "

Blaine bit his lip to stop himself from swearing at the girl.

"They'll be letting people marry their dogs next."

Blaine was struggling not to slap her.

.

"Yeah, because like, a dog is a person in the eyes of the law and able to sign the marriage licence and all."  
>Kurt and Rachel were standing behind her.<br>Kurt opened his mouth to deliver another stinging rejoinder.

"I'm sorry? "Megan had become all sweetness and light again.

"We heard you know, "Rachel flared at the girl, "You have a high pitched, nasal, whiny kind of voice which does tend to carry in rooms like this. It's also a bit sharp, I have perfect pitch you know."

Megan paled a little but offered a sweet smile.  
>"Could I help you with anything Miss?" She paused for a little too long staring at Kurt, "...Sir?"<p>

"We were just leaving." Kurt said coldly.

Blaine smiled at him.  
>"Still need that coffee sweetheart?"<p>

Megan startled beside them and looked at Blaine in confusion.

Blaine smiled at her, but unlike normal, his eyes remained cold and empty.

"You really need to learn to read people better you know."

"You... you're with..."

Blaine reached his hand out to take Kurt's hand and drew him into an embrace.  
>"Kurt is my..."<p>

"They're engaged!" Rachel said brightly, "Engaged to be married! And they're having a baby. I'm their surrogate. It's an honour to be a small part of such a romantic love story. So...so...suck on that sister!"

Her face seemed both shocked and proud that she had totally floored the blonde girl.  
>Kurt and Blaine were struggling not to either laugh or gasp with shock at Rachel's outpouring of hyperbole.<p>

.

Megan frowned at the trio.  
>"I don't care. It's still wrong. I'll pray for you, but I fear that the Angels of the lord will find you on the day of judgement and cast you into hell with the rest of the sinners."<p>

Kurt smiled at her.  
>"I don't believe in God, so I'm safe."<p>

Rachel smiled too.  
>"Jewish here, no hell, it doesn't exist for us, sorry sweetie, you'll have to enjoy it without me."<p>

Blaine smiled at her too.  
>"And as for angels, we happen to know one pretty damn well, and I think if he started casting gay people into anywhere, his boyfriend might make some pretty serious objections."<p>

Megan snarled at them, only to become smiling and sweet as her floor supervisor walked nearer.

.

"Get out you disgusting perverts!, "She hissed, "And have a lovely day!"

Her smile was plastered on as the sales manager walked by.

"Oh, Megan, may I have a word before we go, to just say thanks for all your help?"  
>Kurt leaned in to whisper in her ear.<p>

Megan remained smiling as he did so, but something he said made her gasp and pull away in terror.

"You have a nice day too you stuck up, oversexed, two-faced bitch! "Kurt smiled warmly at her, "Oh, and you need to redo your roots, the mud is starting to show."

.

"What did you do?" Rachel asked as they made their way to the register where Tina and Mercedes stood waiting with the boys.

"A little fairy magic!" Kurt smiled brightly at her.

"Kurt, you didn't..." Blaine was torn between laughter and shock.

"It will only last for a few days, but hopefully the lesson will stick."

"I don't understand..." Rachel seemed perplexed.

"Kurt has a lot of the traditional powers of the Fey, "Blaine explained, "Including their ability to curse people."

"Oh my... what did you do to her?"

Kurt simply smiled and gestured for the others to watch what was about to happen nearby.

A customer had just asked Megan her opinion about the dress she was trying on.

"No madam, it doesn't make you rear look too large. The colour however, does makes you look like a three day old corpse, but that could just be because you really overdid the makeup this morning. Might I suggest the blue instead?"

Megan's face went white as she heard herself speak.  
>The customer went white too, and then may have gone red, but it was hard to tell under all the makeup.<p>

.

"I'll admit to a little inspiration from a Jim Carrey movie, but I think she'll find it a little hard to hide the poison inside her now."  
>Kurt smiled as they paid for their purchases. "Who wants to go grab a coffee before we get back to work?"<p>

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Kurt, isn't that your dad?" Trent was pointing at the television screens displayed in the store half a block from the theatre.

.

The re-assembled cast members all crowded around to get a better vantage.  
>Some of them began to use their phones to search for details of the story.<p>

"Apparently this is the only shots they have, "Artie explained as he listened to the television reporters talk, "It seems all the people closer to the action either forgot to record it or had some sort of mysterious accident with their cameras."

Kurt shook his head at Blaine's silent query.

They watched in horror as the horse-creature, bearing the small boy, scattered a group of people standing by the edge of the pond.  
>Suddenly a figure in a plaid shirt and a baseball cap was standing in the water, wrestling with the monster.<p>

Kurt and the others gasped as Burt, it had to be Burt, lifted the horse from the pool and smashed into it with some sort of shiny object that had seemed to materialise in his hand as they watched.

"Poppa Bear is a Super Hero too it would seem!" David joked to Wes as they leant against each other for support within the crush of bodies.

"I wonder what happened to the other peoples' footage." Quinn mused as she smoothed her hair in the shop window's reflection.

"Hey Dave, that's your dad now too isn't it?" Nick was distracted from his covert observation of the pretty blond as a shape which could have been Paul Karofsky charged the hideous tentacle beast with the metal-tipped pole of a large, green market umbrella.

"But Dad doesn't have any..." Dave watched as his father stood puffing and red-faced after his exertions.

"Listen up guys!" Artie put his phone on speaker.

.

_...witnesses say the unidentified men left the young boy at the pool's edge with his parents and moments later literally vanished. The boy was unable to be questioned by authorities as his parents refused to subject him to anymore trauma. Other witnesses were reluctant to speak to the media, although one man did say 'why don't you vultures leave the man alone, he doesn't want to be hassled by you guys. Some people are just decent folk who don't want to have their fifteen minutes.' This incident may shed light on the recent mysterious disappearance of three other children in the past fortnight. Our sources within the Homeland Security department are at a loss to explain the recent rash of strange, one might almost say, unnatural occurrences which seem to be increasing with frequency as the summer goes on. In related news a freak snowstorm in Honolulu has frozen the volcano Mauna Loa for the first time in recorded..._

_._

"Is this going to be happening more often then?" Tina asked quietly, holding tighter to the hand of her boyfriend.

"Those kids...are they...?" Jon trailed away as he read the answer in Kurt and Blaine's faces.

"Can you guys do anything?" Mercedes asked gently.

"We're supposed to, "Blaine said quietly, "But I have no idea what we can do."

Kurt leant against him and nuzzled his cheek to comfort him.  
>"It's ok honey, we'll figure something out. Pang said the magic always tries to do what is most beneficial, the most good."<p>

"But only when it's powered by love Kurt." Blaine was tense and sad, "This isn't some sort of wish we made. This is just happening. It's like a hurricane now, nobody knows who might get hurt, or swept away by it."

.

Before anyone could respond the sky darkened, as if the sun had begun to set, and the young performers heard the sounds of the other people in the street screaming in panic.

Looking up they saw huge dark clouds blotting out the afternoon sun, and what looked like hundreds, perhaps thousands of black birds circling and wheeling in the space between the buildings.

"What the..." Wes found David's hand between his own and without thinking, squeezed it gently and held it.

"Oh my God, look!" Santana was pointing at the street and pavement which was churning as if made of water. Small dark shapes began to issue from cracks that formed in the road surface.

The creatures ranged in size from the size of a small cat to a four year old child.

They were hunched and twisted looking, and smelled of old sour earth.  
>One of the bolder creatures scuttled to a passing businessman and sank its grey rotten teeth into his leg.<br>The man screamed in pain, and would have fallen if Lauren, who was the nearest to him hadn't kicked out at the creature with all her strength and kicked it away from him.

It fell into one of the few beams of sunlight still piercing through the growing cloud cover and immediately wailed and writhed as it dissolved into a puff of evil-smelling smoke.

"Why do I think the clouds aren't a coincidence?" Quinn asked wryly as Nick used his arm to bat aside a crow which had come barrelling down from the sky, aiming straight for Quinn's face.

The blonde girl smiled gratefully at him, then swung her shoulder bag in a vicious arc to dispatch another of the earth creatures that had been reaching for Nick's leg.

"Shot!" Nick smiled back.

"Your arm is bleeding!" Quinn said as she looked at the wound the crow's beak had made as he had fought it off.

Everyone looked at the ground where the body of the bird lay.  
>It was dead.<p>

It appeared to have been dead for some time, days at least.

.

"We're being attacked by undead crows, Oh joy!" David snarled as he pulled Wes from the path of another bird and watched it crumple to the ground beside them, only to be snatched up and eaten by one of the grey creatures.

Blaine's mind began to race in the way he was beginning to understand meant his powers were activating.

"The crows are Irish Mythology, they were the harbingers of the Morrigna, the Celtic Battle Goddess."

He reached out to grab a crow which, to his eyes at least, was barely moving. He wrinkled his nose in revulsion as he felt its cold dead body give slightly in his grip and used it as a missile to clear out a group of the ground based monsters which had surrounded a courier and pulled him off his bike.

The man leapt from the ground and ran to the group of teens, blood already pouring from a dozen bites on his legs and back.

Dave moved to the front of the group and reached for him.

"No, "Santana hissed, "People will see."

"I'd rather be dissected as a freak than let any more people suffer, "Dave whispered as bite marks of various sizes began to ooze blood from his body. By the time the cyclist reached the relative safety of the choir, only his torn and bloodied lycra showed he had ever been injured.

.

More passersby began to head for the group as Kurt and Blaine called out to them to band together for safety.

Within a couple of minutes almost all the people in the street were either inside a building, or locked in their cars, where they might hope for a few minutes of relief before the grey creatures ate the cars from around them, or they had joined the group on the sidewalk. Traffic had stopped moving altogether.

The New Directions and Warbler members moved to the outside of their increased group to offer the frightened pedestrians a little more protection.

"Look, it's only this one block!" Mercedes said as she pointed to where the edge of the mysterious cloud's shadow was outlined in brilliant July sunshine.

"Can we get there?" Flint asked as he bent to grab a loose piece of rock from the ruined street and hurl it at one of the grey creatures that had come a little too close.

As if in answer the street between them and the sanctuary of sunshine opened further and more of the evil dwarves came boiling to the surface.

.

"Hey, Puck, you still smoke sometimes don't you?"

Everyone glanced at Brittany in exasperation.

"Can I borrow your lighter?"

Santana rolled her eyes, but with love in them, as Puck wordlessly handed over the metal Zippo.

Brittany reached into Kurt's bag as he stood next to her and pulled out a large metal can.

"Britt honey? What are you...?"  
>Kurt's voice faded away with a shriek as Brittany aimed the can of extra-clutch hairspray at a large clump of the crows and lit it.<p>

"I saw this in a movie!" the blonde girl smiled, "I think it was called 'The Candy Bar is now open for your convenience', but I might be wrong. Santana and I were making out in the back row so I wasn't really watching much of it."

.

The sky was getting darker and the creatures, both grey and black were circling closer.

"Kobolds!" Blaine exclaimed, his super-memory finally finding the name. "Germanic myths. Creatures of Earth, but not always of darkness. These must be evil ones."

"Ya think?" Lauren snarled as she copied Flint's trick with the paving stones and killed three of the Kobolds with one well aimed throw.

"We need to do something, now!" Kurt's voice wasn't quite reaching panic mode yet but...

.

By now most of them were bleeding or scratched from crow attacks or from the bolder and faster Kobolds in the pack menacing them.

"Screw this, people are hurting!" Dave gasped with pain as his wings fully materialised and everyone else felt immediately better.

Several people in the crowd the kids were protecting gasped or shouted as they saw the boy's transformation.  
>Some began to pray.<p>

"Don't worry, he's on our side!" Blaine said, his voice throbbing with the subtle magic of the _Speech_.

.

Jeff bit his lip as he saw and felt the pain his boyfriend was in.  
>Reaching out with his power he healed the wounds Dave had taken, his eyes and skin taking on the familiar silverwhite glow.

"The creatures, they don't like your aura Jeff!" Rachel spotted as she saw the nearest Kobolds pull back from the light. One of them even seemed to have been singed by it.

"Birds don't like fire either! "Brittany beamed as she incinerated another clump of the circling crows. "Oh, and everyone should know, if you put your goldfish in the toilet bowl, they run away and join the circus."

.

Kurt smiled as he suddenly seemed more confident.

"Hey Dave, want to join me for a quick stretch of the wings?"

Dave frowned at Kurt.  
>"What am I going to do up there? I'd be torn to pieces. It's not like I could hit them with my fists or anything!"<p>

"That's it Dave! Use the Fury!" Brittany whooped as she managed to spray another dozen birds.

.

Dave, by now, was coming to understand the way Brittany's mind worked.  
>He reached down past his guilt and fear, past his regrets and self-loathing, past even his love for Jeff, so pure and new.<p>

He reached for his anger, his rage, his violence.

He reached for his Fury.

Screaming with rage he took to the air, throwing himself into the nearest cloud of circling birds.

His left hand held a huge flaming sword, which burned and scattered the undead menaces almost without needing to touch them.

.

Jeff looked on as more birds circled round to attack him from the other side.  
>"Shield yourself with my love Dave!" He cried.<p>

A shimmering shield of light appeared on Dave's free arm and the birds which struck it burst into flames and fell to the ground.

.

As the crowd of onlookers were gradually losing their minds in terror at the sight before them, the slender, effeminate figure of Kurt leapt into the air to join the Angel.

As he did so, his form shimmered and a huge, impossibly quick bird of fire wheeled and moved around the screaming Angel, protecting his back and driving the crows into the reach of the flaming sword.

On the ground, the Kobolds were massing for some sort of assault.

Jeff glared at one which was chewing on a child's shoe.  
>He knew, thankfully, that the child was currently held in his mother's arms behind him, but the sight of the evil creature parading its wickedness in front of his eyes made his blood boil.<p>

Jeff knew somehow, that anger was not his answer.

He reached into himself and found his love for Dave, for his friends and family.

For the first time he began to feel what Lord Tubbington and Pang had referred to as the 'Web of Love'.  
>He felt connected to everything on the planet.<p>

.

A beam of pure light shot from his eyes and the shoe dropped to the ground, only a wisp of dark smoke showing that there had ever been a creature there at all.

"Fricking Lasers! " Artie couldn't resist the Dr Evil impersonation.

Wings of pure light spread out from the slender blond singer as Jeff reached for even more connection to his power.  
>Every one of the hundred or so people left in the street began to feel the emotions and thoughts of those next to them.<br>It was like swimming in a huge ocean of feeling, but some feelings were still a little stringer than others, and could be made out against the background 'noise'.

From Rachel came an incredible drive and determination, and a deep, abiding faith in her friends.  
>Mercedes stood like the figurehead on the prow of a ship, pride and confidence radiating from her to strengthen the others in the group.<p>

Everyone's strengths were bolstered and their weaknesses supported.

Only a few of them were able to distinguish the source, but from Noah Puckerman came a depth of compassion and caring that Blaine thought might almost be a match for that which was emanating from Kurt.

With a flash of light Jeff felt the power settle into the group.  
>They became one.<p>

.

The entity looked at the threats around it.

Using some of its many arms it reached for weapons, kept watch with a hundred pairs of eyes and assessed its paranormal power options.  
>Its flying elements had the skies under control, the pressing threat was from the ground.<br>Without a thought it dispatched the Earth power it possessed.

As the silvery form of Blaine's dragon shape melded into the earth around them the ground twisted and shook as the Kobolds were crushed by an element no longer under their command.

The gestalt creature that had been the various humans trapped in the street took less than five minutes to completely wipe out every dark _Fae_ within its reach.  
>A second after the last Kobold had melted to smoke the cloud hiding the sun began to melt also and the individuals of the gestalt found themselves in charge of their own minds and bodies once more.<p>

.

Jeff Sterling's lifeless body lay on the broken roadway, the light guttering out from his skin even as they watched.

It was Tina who leaped to his side and, after briefly checking his vital signs, began to administer the kiss of life.  
>As she swore, in a mixture of Chinese, Korean and English, Trent fell to his knees also and began chest compressions.<p>

Dave swooped down from high above the buildings and reached for his boyfriend.  
>Even as he felt his power engage, an act which was almost sure to kill him, Jeff began to cough as his heart started to beat under its own power again.<p>

Dave knelt beside him, his shirt torn away and his skin bloody and burned.  
>His white wings, however, remained clean and pure, glowing faintly in the sunlight as Dave cradled Jeff to his chest and looked down at the face he had come to love so much.<p>

Jeff felt a drop of water fall on his cheek, and opened his eyes to look up into the tear-filled eyes of Dave Karofsky.

"Hello Big Bird."

"Don't you ever try to leave me again." Dave's voice was weak and trembling, but his strong arms were solid and safe.

"I won't, I'd miss you too much." Jeff smiled at him gently.

" I love you."

.

The men and women in the crowd watched as Dave gently kissed Jeff's lips and then sat there, staring at him with such love and pride in his eyes that some of the women, actually, some of the men too, began to weep softly.

"Angels!" The small boy in his other's arms was beaming, "Angel kisses mommy! Is that why Pastor Dennis says that God is love?"

.

"Yes dear, "his mother whispered softly, "God is love."

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Despite their narrow escape in the streets, the New Directions and the Warblers made it to rehearsals with five minutes to spare.

.

Blaine had done his best to persuade the people who had not only witnessed but participated in the fight to avoid talking to the press or the authorities, but he wasn't sure how well that might hold.

"We'll just cross that bridge once we've burnt it!" Kurt had said a touch too brightly.

A brief thought had been made to skipping rehearsals, but no one had entertained the idea for more than a few seconds.  
>Not only was the work ethic seriously ingrained in all of them, but the thought of an angry Julie Taymor was...<p>

"Could I just get killed by Kobolds and undead crows again please? It would be less frightening."  
>Jeff had smiled as he said it, but Dave had whined softly in the back of his throat and pulled the slender blond boy's body to his chest again.<p>

Besides, the rehearsals would be over eventually, and then they could return to their hotel for a sleep and to meet up with their families, who should be arriving tonight in the bus provided by Dalton.

.

Rehearsals were much more comfortable, with the building cool and inviting thanks to the presence of the celebrity cast.  
>Getting through the security checks at the stage door had been a pain though.<p>

It was now six o'clock, and Julie had promised that she would end rehearsals promptly at seven.

The cast were a little nervous, tomorrow was Sunday, and the only scheduled activity was a quick dress run through starting at five in the afternoon.

.

Julie Taymor had given the assembled cast a pep talk.  
>"I don't want or need you guys to be perfect or lose the excitement and spontaneity and joy of performance. We're already winging it most of the way, so since we don't have enough time to rehearse to perfection, I'm happy if we just rehearse to cohesion! You already know most of the group numbers you chose better than I could teach you anyway. We've rehearsed the dances and the narration pieces. We've established a running order and some characterisations. There is only so much we can do now without the live links and the audience, so a dress run tomorrow night to spot any last minute glitches and then everyone needs to be here by noon on Monday. The concert will be starting in the park at three, and we begin at four. It's going to be a long night on Monday guys, so I will expect everyone to be on their best behaviour so...that includes you Tony, and you Bernadette, don't think I didn't see that eye roll. You may be legends but if you mess my show up I'll have you out the back cleaning the costumes like I did last time you gave me lip Bernie, so behave!"<p>

Rachel, Blaine and Kurt sat quivering as one of their idols, Bernadette Peters, turned to them and whispered cheekily.  
>"I'm pretty sure she's bluffing. This time anyway."<p>

Puck and Finn sat on either side of Tony Bennet and basked in their new coolness.

.

The last hour was frantic, as cast and crew went in all directions to rehearse.

Dave was sent back down to one of the rehearsal rooms to perfect his secret solo, although this time a handful of the Warblers, including Jeff were asked to join him to experiment with some harmonies that the musical director thought might add yet another level to what he had assured the others would be a show stopping number.

Julie had planned a few of those.

To make things remain loose, she hadn't shared all her secrets with the entire cast either.  
>Tomorrow's dress rehearsal would be the first time some of the elements of this concert would be seen in their entirety by the entire cast.<br>Even then, Julie had a few extra surprises up her sleeves for the actual performance.

At first she had decided to wait until today to give everyone the secrets she was planning, but as their incredibly tight but amazingly productive rehearsals had gone on, she had decided to keep most of her big shocks in reserve.

Those things she had announced or let slip had energized and excited her cast, particularly Kurt and Blaine, so much, she knew that some of her secrets should be able to send the two talented boys into a near-Earth orbit.

Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones had been key to finding a surprise that would go some of the way to repaying Kurt for all he had done for her and her doomed concert.

.

Speaking of which... Mercedes was currently in the small dance studio room rehearsing her series of duets and solos with the man she thought she would be performing with Monday night. Her surprise would happen at the dress rehearsal.

Kurt and Blaine would have to wait until the actual show to discover the final surprise celebrity guest she had managed to arrange. Luckily Bernadette had not only loved the idea of sharing her narration and singing role, but had actually been able to contact the person concerned and pressure her, as an old and trusted friend, into saying yes at the last minute. Also luckily for Julie, the flight to Hawaii the star had been booked on had been cancelled due to the strange events going on around the globe.

That left her next guest, who would soon be appearing for rehearsals 'via satellite'.  
>Rachel was so looking forward to this, Julie thought, I hope she lasts through the session.<p>

.

.

"Hi Ms Taymor, I'm here. What did you need me for in here? I've got the music for all my songs with me but you..."

Rachel didn't notice the large monitor and camera set up being wheeled silently into the room behind her, although she did spot the pianist who was taking his place at the rehearsal piano.

"Rachel, someone has been looking forward to meeting you. I've sent her links to all your recordings and she's very excited and thrilled to meet you and work with you. For now, just over the internet, but soon in person, she has insisted on that."

Rachel stood frozen, unwilling to turn around.

"Rachel? Rachel Berry? "

Rachel knew that voice, she turned slowly to face the huge screen, her face torn between euphoria and shyness.

.

"Rachel! I recognise you from your videos...can I just say...Hello gorgeous!"


	46. Losing It

**A/N: Ok, here it is, the longest chapter EVER (well, that I've written anyway) - hope it was worth the wait.**  
><strong>Be warned there are some mean, cruel words in this bit - not mine, but you need to read them to understand what the boys are up against.<strong>  
><strong>OK, now this is also the first time I've tried my hand as 'songfic' - so bear with me. <strong>  
><strong>You get to watch Dave rehearsing his solo in front of...um... lots of people actually.<strong>

**The song in question is by a wonderful indie artist caled Sara Bareilles, I'm sure many of you know of her, if not - oooo, you're in for a new experience!**

**My advice is to listen to the song before you read that section(it's last by the way) and then read the story while listening to the song again, and let your imagination run away with the fairies!**

**The version I listened to while writing is here: http(:/)www(.) youtube(.)com/() watch?v(=) tf5u0mJQJMs (just remove the brackets and spaces) or you can search for one on your own - it's called "The Light".**

**Reviews are wonderful, they make me feel like I have magic rings too!  
>Apologies for typos and mis-spellings etc, but it's long, I'm tired and my bunnies need to sleep now!<br>**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or indeed real people mentioned in here. Or any othe music. I don't even own Radio City, damn them for rejecting my claim!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

It had been wonderful to see everyone from Lima last night, although both parties had been almost exhausted.

.

The choir kids were tired from a full day of rehearsals, not to mention what Jeff and Finn were now calling 'The Battle Of New York'.

Burt and the other parents were equally tired from the stress of their own battle.  
>With Steffi urging him, yet again, Paul had told Dr Lopez, and Blaine's and Kurt's parents what Steffi had told him about her past.<p>

Carole and Elaine had wept with the young girl, and were slowly beginning to persuade her to start talking about it with them.

Dr Lopez had simply gone very, very quiet and still as she tried to decide which of her impulses she needed to unleash first.

Finally realising that the absence of Steffi's father meant that she simply didn't have access to his organs, internal or external, she began to plan out what tests she might need to carry out on the unborn child, and how fast she could manage to get a gene test done on a holiday weekend.

That problem was of course nothing to the prospect of trying to talk to Steffi about it.

It was actually her daughter who came up with the solution.  
>Dr Lopez and Santana had been idly exchanging details of their day ('we had to fight some sort of evil Fae creature made of water' "Oh, that sounds nice, our Fae monsters were made of earth mostly, and dead crow') when Santana seemed to sense something was wrong.<p>

"Ok Moms dear, spill it. Something is up in your grill isn't it? Tell me what it is and maybe I can help your tired old brain come up with a solution!"

Dr Lopez had confided in her daughter, and especially about her worries for the health and possible problems with the baby.

Santana had made a radical, but useful suggestion.  
>So Dr Lopez consulted the Angels.<p>

.

After asking Steffi for permission, but not explaining her reasons, Dr Lopez sat the girl down with Dave and Jeff and asked the boys to see if they could determine the health of the baby.

In a few short minutes they were able to put her mind at ease.  
>Not only were the baby and Steffi doing well in the last stages of pregnancy, but the baby checked out fine.<p>

She would be a healthy, and perfectly normal child.

Dr Lopez let the tears she had been reining in flow from her large brown eyes as she thanked the two boys in Spanish.

.

The stories told by both sides as they reunited had continued much later than either side had realised, but no one wanted to go to bed, no matter how draining their day had been.

.

Rachel's fathers had entertained the travellers the entire bus trip, it was related, with jokes and stories about their young daughter, as well as show tunes or rap sing-alongs and a killer game of 'eye-spy-charades'.

"I swear Quinn sweetheart, you should have seen Coach Bieste trying to act out the words 'road hog', I almost peed myself!" Judy Fabray had giggled as she sat just a little closer to Pete than was strictly polite.

"I did that once, "Brittany had added, "But then I worked out you can mush them up in your potatoes and they won't roll off your plate so easily."

.

Mr Schuester and Ms Pillsbury were sitting, holding hands quietly with identical looks of pride and excitement on their faces.  
>The choir leader had taken the time to offer his congratulations and personal well wishes individually to every member of both choirs, and to Dave too.<p>

At the look of shy embarrassment and quiet pride which had flickered across Dave's face, Mr Shue had given in to his impulse and hugged the boy.

"I'm remembering how hard you struggled with yourself when you joined us for the half-time show Dave, and how much talent you showed even then. I'm so glad you and Kurt have worked out your differences and you've embraced something you obviously love so much."

Dave's face had lit up with renewed pride.  
>"Mr Shue, that's not all I'm embracing, so to speak. Could I...I'd like to introduce both of you to my boyfriend. Jeff, this is Mr Shue and Ms Pillsbury. Guys, this is Jeff Sterling. I know you've sort of met, but..."<p>

.

Emma Pillsbury had tears running down her face as she reached out and hugged the blushing and stammering boy.

Will stood in shock, as everyone in the room also blinked with surprise.  
>Miss Pillsbury never liked to touch...anyone.<p>

"Ms...um...Ms Pillsbury I..."

"Emma?"

"I'm so, so proud of you David. I've been so worried about you. You were so obviously unhappy and I just didn't know what was wrong and how to help you, and that's kind of meant to be my job and I was failing so...and now you're so strong and happy and... I'm just so proud of you."

.

Dave stood in shocked embarrassment as Will gently took the sobbing Emma from him and pulled her close to his own chest, eliciting another collective gasp from the McKinley students.

"Oh...yes. Guys, Ms Pillsbury and I have kind of..."

.

Rachel announced loudly and rudely that it was time for everyone to go to bed if they wanted to have the energy to go explore New York tomorrow before the rehearsals.  
>Mr Shue smiled gratefully at her and she winked back at him.<p>

As everyone made plans to meet for breakfast in the morning, Kurt and Blaine drifted over to Rachel.

"You do it deliberately sometimes, don't you?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow threatening her into being honest.

"I...I don't know what..."

"The jig is up Rachel. Looking back I can now recall several occasions where an obnoxious outburst from you has caused you to be the object of everyone's scorn during Glee and saved someone else from embarrassment or worse."

Rachel just tried to look enigmatic.

"I think what Kurt is trying to say Rachel is...we love you too."

Rachel blushed as the two boys hugged her goodnight and went off to their private suite.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine could smell flowers.

.

He lay on the bed, his eyes still closed, still wrapped in deep sleep, savouring the sensations his body was feeling.  
>The first of his senses to register in his semiconscious mind was scent.<p>

He could smell flowers.

He could smell the faint reminders of the mango and coconut body-wash that always meant 'Kurt' to him.  
>He could smell the strawberry hair conditioner that Kurt used on his own hair, as well as the rosemary and green tea treatments which Kurt had insisted on massaging into Blaine's scalp while they shared the enormous spa bath together.<p>

And...he could smell flowers.

His tongue spoke up next, demanding that he take note of the tastes in his mouth, as it lay slightly open in sleep.

Toothpaste and mouthwash offered a faint mint aftertaste, almost faded to nothing now, but still identifiable to his superior senses.  
>Vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon?<br>Kurt's special moisturising lip balm.

There was another taste too, but he wasn't familiar with it...it made him feel good though.

Oh...yes.

His skin was being caressed by the soft, expensive cotton sheets that Kurt loved so much.  
>After a casual remark from Kurt that Song Lee had overheard, they had returned to their rooms one night to discover the bed linens had been changed to thousand-count pure white cotton sheets.<p>

Kurt had remarked that that was the mark of some serious five star service.

Blaine felt the pillow catch for an instant on the curls of his hair as he moved his head ever so slightly and began the slow process of waking up.  
>He felt a faint twinge in the muscles of his neck, as if a strain were slowly healing itself.<br>His throat felt tired, as if he had been singing or shouting or calling out for too many hours the day before.  
>He felt warm breath on his cheek.<br>He felt another's hands pressed to his wide, warm, naked back.  
>He felt the warmth of another living being beneath his own fingers.<p>

His arms were wrapped around a lean, muscled body with skin so...soft...so very soft and warm.

Blaine felt the muscles beneath his fingers jump and move as the body he was pressed against began to stir also.  
>He felt long, slender legs moving gently against his own.<br>He felt the pulsing of another heart which seemed to have synchronised with his own strange, still new double heartbeat.  
>The other's heart felt as if it was beating in counterpoint to his.<p>

Our bodies are singing to each other as we sleep, came Blaine's first conscious thought.

_._

_Always sing with you, my love_

.

Blaine felt Kurt's sleeping mind opening up inside his own.

_._

_I can hear you breathing...and your hearts are beating so fast...I can hear birds singing_

_I can too_

_Blaine..._

.

Blaine lay against his love and listened to the sound of their breaths moving from sleep to wakefulness.

_._

_Blaine?_

_Love?_

_Love!_

.

Blaine smiled at the thought, and felt Kurt's lips smile too.

Kurt closed the last few millimetres between their mouths and Blaine felt soft lips against his own, felt warm breath entering his lungs as Kurt breathed life back into him. He tasted vanilla and cinnamon and...

_._

_You smell like flowers_

_So do you _

_Blaine...my flower...love you_

_Je t'aime aussi mon couer_

.

Blaine opened his eyes.

Kurt's eyes were fluttering open at the same moment, barely more than an inch from his own.

All Blaine could see was an ocean of green and blue and grey, sparkling between long lashes.

_._

_Hello you_

.

Blaine smiled as he heard Kurt's mental voice.

_._

_I'm drowning in honey and forest leaves and...Oh Blaine...your eyes are so beautiful... Blaine_

_They are lucky too, luckier than yours!_

_Why?_

_They get to look into your eyes_

_Love you_

_Forever thine_

_For Always Blaine _

.

Blaine watched as tears began to form in corners of the most precious eyes in the universe.

_._

_Happy tears Blaine_

_Mine too_

.

The two boys lay still, just breathing each other in as they wept gently.

.

"Why can I smell flowers?" Kurt said aloud finally.  
>Kurt's voice was what his ears had been craving, Blaine realised.<p>

_._

_Ow, my neck hurts, and my voice sounds like Dorothy from the Golden Girls_

_Don't did the Bea, Kurt_

_I would never diss Bea Arthur, Blaine, I'm just saying..._

_...thinking..._

_...thinking then, my throat is sore. I never get sick! Oh no, Blaine, am I going to be sick for the..._

.

"We have been working ourselves pretty hard the last few days Kurt. " Blaine murmured, "It's one of the main reasons Julie wanted to give us a break today."

"We also worked our voices pretty hard after we went to bed Blaine!" Kurt croaked with a smirk, 'Or was that all a dream?"

Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt's shining lips again.

_._

_If it this is a dream...it is a good dream_

.

"Seriously though, did you arrange for someone to deliver flowers to us this morning? Because the smell is..."  
>Kurt sat up, Blaine sighing sadly as the warmth and beat of his heart left his chest.<p>

Kurt gasped.  
>Blaine sat up too and looked around them.<p>

The room was filled with flowers.

A carpet of living flowers.

.

They grew directly out of the floor, the tables, even from the fireplace.  
>Chrysanthemums, Carnations, Tulips and Flowering Bamboo fought for space with Lilies and Orchids.<p>

The air was filled with multicoloured butterflies, dancing and playing above and about the gloriously beautiful blooms which adorned almost every horizontal surface in the suite.

As the boys looked at the flowers, they noticed them nodding gently in the breeze which came from the open windows onto the terrace.

.

"I forgot we left it open last night, "Kurt whispered.

"We were distracted Kurt, remember?"

Kurt and Blaine both blushed and grinned at each other as more memories of last night surfaced.

"I'm glad we managed to have that final shower though." Kurt murmured as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Speaking of which..."

.

Blaine swung his legs over the side of the king-sized bed which had, last night, been elected his favourite place in the entire universe.  
>He froze as he felt something move beneath his feet, and heard a faint 'clink' of metal on metal.<p>

Kurt heard it too, and leant over the side of the bed to look more carefully at the floor.

"Oh my..." He breathed out in shock.

_._

_What's wrong?_

.

Kurt reached between the flowers and leaves of their living carpet and held up the object he had grasped.

"I'm glad we left the windows open, otherwise we'd have to do some more emergency repairs on the glass."

In his hands the golden coin gleamed as if freshly minted.

Blaine looked down at his feet and tried to count the carpet of gold coins which lay beneath the flowers.

"We didn't get a pot this time though." He finally quipped.

.

Kurt was looking at the far side of the room.  
>"Trees!"<p>

"Sorry?"

"Trees, Blaine, there are trees growing out of our floor."

Blaine looked over at the large, and quite beautiful trees.

.

There were five of them.  
>One in each corner of the room, and a fifth arching over the bed they were in.<p>

Apple blossoms scented the air, while from the opposite corner, a huge cherry tree bore both blossoms and fruit.

"How the...?"

There are apples on the apple tree too, "Kurt murmured, "And the Plum has flowers and fruit at the same time as well. I don't really think that's how it happens in nature, is it Blaine? You know you got better marks than me in Biology. "

"I got an A plus Kurt, you still got an A. And it was the only subject I beat you in. You beat me in three others."

"But I am willing to suppress my natural superiority to defer to your slight primacy over me when it comes to watching gardening shows Blaine."

"What is the one in that corner?" Blaine pointed at the only tree not bearing fruit.

"I think it's a Birch? I'm pretty sure I saw them in those documentaries we watched about when the Prince of Denmark married that Australian woman." Kurt said softly. He looked over their heads, "Ooh! Peaches!"  
>Kurt reached up and plucked the closest fruit, its skin was perfect, almost like burnished gold.<br>He looked at it for a second and then bit into it. Blaine moaned softly as the juice ran down Kurt's perfect chin.

Kurt offered him a bite, which Blaine accepted with relish.

.

"How did we miss that?" Blaine asked as he looked up into the branches where the luscious golden fruits vied for space with the sweetly scented blossoms.

"It wasn't in our line of sight until we sat up was it?"

"There are birds Kurt. There are birds singing in our trees."

"And bees too, look!" Kurt pointed out the large golden striped creatures who were busily investigating the banquet Faerie magic had presented to them.

"Aren't we on the fifty second floor?" Blaine asked quietly, "How did they get up this high?"

"Maybe they came with the flowers?"

.

Blaine couldn't help himself, he snickered.

"What?"

"You said 'came with the'..."

"Grow up Blaine, please!"

Kurt suddenly snickered with laughter too.

"Kurt! You're blushing."

.

Kurt pointed at the little golden workers that continued to fly from flower to flower, then at the songbirds that were singing in their new indoor orchard.

Blaine was puzzled for a second.

Then he laughed out loud and fell back on the bed clutching his stomach.

.

"You taste like peaches!" Kurt murmured as he dove in for another kiss.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Despite spending a little time enjoying a breakfast of fruit and boyfriend, Kurt and Blaine thought it would be wise to meet the others upstairs before the others came looking for them and they had to explain the presence of a forest and flower garden in their suite.

.

"We better call Song Lee and get her to cancel the maid for today." Blaine said smiling as he licked a drop of cherry juice from Kurt's bottom lip.

"Maybe she should send the gardener instead?" Kurt quipped.

It was when they walked out of the door to their suite and down the corridor that they began to feel worried.  
>Blaine had suggested they bring a basket of fruit to share with their family and friends.<p>

"We don't need to tell them where they came from." He laughed.

.

The corridor was filled with flowers too.

They walked to the elevator that would take them to the rooftop terrace.  
>The lift carriage was also full of flowers.<p>

When the elevator door chimed open, the boys were confronted by a smirking Puck and Lauren, as well as Santana and Britt who were kissing in the corner.

The others were all standing or sitting in the meeting room, or in the garden, finishing their breakfasts or chatting quietly.

Everyone turned to stare at the boys as they exited the lift.

.

Santana smirked at Kurt and raised an elegant brow.  
>"Ok Kurt, spill it. What the hell did you and the hot hobbit get up to last night?"<p>

"You guys totally did it didn't you?" Puck asked with a gleam in his eye. "I'm so damned proud of both of you."

"Wanky!" Lauren said as she snuggled into Puck's hip.

"You smell like cobbler!" Brittany smiled as she kissed both of them good morning. "And a little like cough syrup too!"

.

Kurt blushed violently as everyone in the room stared at him and Blaine. He was particularly nervous about his father's thoughts, and found it hard to meet Burt's eyes.

He looked down. Sure enough, the floor in the meeting room was covered in a carpet of flowers.

"The entire hotel is full of flowers. "Lord Tubbington drawled from his perch on a table next to Meggle. "Every room, every corridor, even the driveway. I'm fascinated by their magical significance by the way."

Blaine blushed this time as he placed the basket of fruit on the table.

"...we...we kind of grew some trees in our room." Blaine finally muttered sheepishly.

.

Lord Tubbington blinked as the group around them giggled nervously.

"Wait a minute!" Kurt said, "Lord Tubbington, you...but the others..."  
>He gestured at Coach Bieste, Rachel's dads and the rest of the new arrivals.<p>

"After finding their rooms filled with growing plants and everything else that has been happening, a talking cat is nothing apparently." Lord Tubbington huffed. "We , that is Carole, Elaine and I have explained about you two boys, but that is all."

"It was a load to try to handle, "Shannon Bieste drawled in her inimitable fashion, "But it's a little hard to argue the reality of being surrounded by flowering bamboo while a cat explains that fairies are real. I guess we can shovel the hay we need to muzzle this bronco and turn her out with the tyres pumped."

.

"So, what did you do to cause this?" Carole asked gently.

"I want to know what the magical signature Lord T was talking about is." Finn asked confusedly.

Lord Tubbington explained quickly, mostly to stop Finn interrupting again.  
>"In Chinese Magic, the Lily represents purity and innocence, Orchids are elegance and mystery, Chrysanthemums are flowers which symbolise both intellectual power and longevity. They are also the sacred flower of the Emperor. Cherry blossom is the Empress of Flowers, as well as representing youth and the fleeting beauty of life. Peaches are the fruit that grants immortality to the gods."<p>

"What do the Carnations mean?" Mercedes asked, "There are more of them than any other flower."

"Marriage."

"Oh my God!" Santana burst out, "You really did do it, didn't you!"

Blaine and Kurt were blushing terribly now, as their friends began to make jokes and comments to them.

"Are you alright boys?" Burt Hummel was standing beside them now.

"Dad! I didn't, we...we didn't... all I...oh my God..."  
>Kurt was shaking now.<p>

"Whatever you and Blaine did last night is your business, not mine, and not anyone else's!"  
>Burt's voice rose so that everyone in the room could hear him.<p>

"I...we..."

"So how far did you two...?" Puck asked, ignoring the warning flash that Quinn gave him with her eyes.

.

"Puckerman!"  
>Kurt's blush faded as his face snapped up from the floor and his eyes narrowed.<p>

Kurt had gone beyond embarrassment.  
>Those facing Kurt flinched as his Diva glare reached critical mass.<p>

"Blaine and I did not 'go all the way' last night. We didn't 'make like monkeys'. We didn't 'punch our V-cards' or any other of your many, many crude euphemisms for sex. Now, Puckerman, I understand that you have no concept of privacy or personal matters or indeed common courtesy, but I am warning you, if you say one more thing I will start experimenting to see if my magic is actually strong enough to turn you into something. I don't really care what."

Puck felt bad, realising too late that he had overstepped.

"I know you find this sort of thing funny and meaningless, but to Blaine and I, this part of our lives is ours, it's special and private. I know you only understand sex and sport, so I'll make the following statement, and then make no more. We went past first base, yes, but we didn't score a home run. That will be happening when we are ready for it to happen, and, when it does, it will be a sacred moment shared with each other and no one else. Got it?"

"So...second or third ba...?" Puck had to push it.

Kurt glared at him, thrust three fingers towards him in a gesture that seemed ruder than it was and stormed off to change for their morning out.

Blaine frowned disappointedly at Puck and hurried off to comfort Kurt.

.

"Hey guys, the cherries are really delicious!" Brittany said, her lips already stained red.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Puck's quiet and sincere apology before they had left the hotel had gone a long way to improving Kurt's mood.

.

The sun was shining, New York City was busy and full of life and Blaine's hand was strong and familiar in Kurt's grasp.

That went most of the rest of the way to making Kurt feel better.

There was a lingering niggle of course, but Kurt resolved to put his mood to one side and enjoy a leisurely morning, the first such chance he and Blaine had had since they arrived in the city actually.

No one was trying to blow them up, or attack them with dead anythings, so the boys decided to wander from coffee shop to boutique to record store to bakery, just enjoying whatever this fabulous city had to offer them.

Kurt had even declared today to be one of his extremely rare and special 'eat what you damn well like' days.

Blaine had thought the look on Kurt's face as he had bitten into the ridiculously rich cream-filled éclair he had picked up from the tiny bakery they had found rivalled any face he had made last night.

As the various members of New Directions and the Warblers wandered around, they gradually found themselves beginning to aggregate together as if by some sort of natural process.

.

After a delicious lunch in a restaurant that had simply screamed five star and yet hadn't batted and eyelid at a request for a 'table for thirty' (the sight of Blaine's unlimited credit card may have helped there) the gang of teenagers decided to go for one last walk in the streets before they headed back to change for the rehearsal.

A few blocks from their hotel they heard what sounded like shouting coming from up ahead.  
>Wes ran forward to see what was happening, only to turn around and try to stop Kurt and the others from going any further.<p>

"Come on guys, let's go through the park to get back, ok?"

Blaine could hear a female voice shouting in anger, only to be drowned out by what sounded like a small mob.  
>There was something about the lone voice that was...familiar.<p>

.

"Kurt? I think we need to get round the corner. Come on!"

With Blaine in the lead and Kurt close behind him, the others trailed along after them like a slightly disorganised street march.

Dave pulled Jeff close to him as they held hands and hurried to catch up to Kurt.

Rounding the corner the assembled choirs saw what looked like a nasty standoff.

A short, attractive middle-aged woman was facing down a mob.

.

She was dressed very simply, in a T-shirt and slacks, and was carrying a simple leather shoulder bag.

The mob facing her was carrying placards and banners and all had identical looks of scorn and hatred on their faces.

Kurt and the others read the placards.

God Hates Fags  
>God Hates America<br>Jews Killed Christ  
>Soldier Fags Must Die<p>

There were others that were worse.

.

"Westboro!" Jeff hissed beneath his breath, "I wonder who's funeral they've decided to milk for cheap publicity today."

"I've read about these guys online, "Rachel murmured, "But I never thought I'd see them for real. How can they have so much hate in them?"

"Who are these people?" Puck asked, shocked and more than a little disturbed by some of the banners, and by the slogans the group of forty or so people were chanting.

"They call themselves the Westboro Baptist Church, 'Mercedes hissed, "Although they aren't members of any of the Baptist congregations, nor are they part of any church a real person of God would worship in."

Quinn nodded in agreement.  
>"They pretty much consist of mostly members of the founder's extended family. All they really are is a hate group. They hate Jews, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Arabs and most of all gays. They go around to military or celebrity funerals and wave placards and try to hide their empty, hate ridden souls from God's view by screaming obscenities at the parents of dead heroes. I hate them and everything they claim to stand for."<p>

Nobody had ever seen Quinn literally shaking with rage before.

.

The woman who was singlehandedly berating the mob turned as she sensed someone behind her.

The first thing everyone noticed was the slogan on her shirt which read 'Straight But Not Narrow'.  
>The second thing was the cut that was bleeding under her left eye.<p>

"Patricia?" Blaine asked in shock, "Is that you? Patricia! It's Kurt and Blaine, from the flight the other day!"

"My beautiful boys in love!" The woman smiled, her bright eyes glistening in the sun.

"What happened to your face?" Kurt asked, moving forward and pulling a tissue out of his bag of tricks.

"One of the haters got a bit close with a placard."

"How...what are you doing here, in a street in New York, having a faceoff with the Westboro Hatemongers Society?" Kurt asked as he cleaned her wound.

"What are they trying to wreck this time?" Jeff asked as he came closer.

"There's a funeral planned just down the street, "Patricia said quietly, "A soldier. The brother of one of my work colleagues. I spotted this lot coming down the road and I've been trying to hold them off since."

"By yourself?" Dave was impressed.

"Well, apart from the accident with the placard, they are pretty huge cowards. They know that if they touch me or try to push past me the cops will swoop in and nab them. I don't need to hold them off all day, just long enough for Mike's family to mourn him in private."

.

"I thought you weren't staying in New York?" Blaine said.

"I was meant to be flying to Hawaii for a shift this weekend, but the flight got cancelled due to the freak snowstorms there."

By this stage the 'Church' members were tired of being ignored and tried to move past the group.

.

In a flash the New Directions and Warblers spread out across the footpath and prevented their passage.

The leader of the group, a rather ugly, red-faced woman with a terrible perm, began to scream obscenities and insults at them, particularly at Kurt when she recognised his mannerisms and dress.

Kurt ignored her.

A few moments of tension grew heavier and heavier as the protestors began to scream abuse at the entire choir, the passersby, a group of nearby police and even a stray pigeon.

"Ignore them, they won't live forever, "Kurt drawled, "And when they do die, I'm pretty sure if God exists, he has a special place reserved for ignorant withered up old poison spewers like Hagzilla and her incestuous cousin-children."

"God will punish you and the whole country for your unnatural abominations!" One man screamed.

"The end times are upon us, we're all going to burn in hell because of filth like you!" Another shouted.

"Die Fag Die!" A young woman spat at Kurt, the saliva hitting him just below the eye.

.

Everything fell silent as Dave and Jeff stepped forward, all eyes drawn to them by some invisible force.

"You say God hates homosexuality, right?" Dave asked quietly.

"Would you like to meet my boyfriend?" Jeff asked in a dangerous voice, "Just don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry."

"The Angels of the Lord will strike you dead where you stand for blaspheming his holy name!" The leader of the group shouted.

One of the younger members of the group moved to push Jeff out of the way before anyone could stop him.

.

The huge flaming sword in Dave's hand stopped mere inches from the boy's chest, causing the assembled passersby and the members of both groups to gasp.

Dave's wings were stretched across the entire path, glowing in the sunlight.

Jeff's wings of pure light appeared as a halo of silver radiance rose from his blond head.

.

"Care to chat about who knows the will of God better?" Jeff asked quietly.

Kurt shook with tension as he held a _Glamour_ over the scene so that the others in the street would see only a simple argument.

.

He was losing patience with these idiots.

"Listen to me you hate filled morons!" Kurt hissed between gritted teeth, "You love your bible so much? You love your Leviticus so much? Well here then. My gift to you. It's all true. But you have to accept all of it. It's all or nothing people. You want to believe the will of God says that I am an abomination, then so be it. But you have to take all of it. For so long as you believe that passage to be true, all the laws of the bible will be true for you and your church. No working on the Sabbath, no flesh of the unclean animals, no haircuts, no makeup, no strong drink or freedom for women. No parties or free speech or questioning the elders of your church. You want to be close to God, then by God, he's going to be close to you. I. Have. Spoken. Amen!"

Stones began to fall from the sky, landing on various members of the Westoboro placard wavers.

"Oh dear, "Kurt hissed, "You must be wearing cotton and wool blends. Or perhaps you turned on a light last Friday. Or... I suspect that most of you have had a haircut recently, even if they are incredibly bad ones. Gee, sucks to be you. Now go, go back to the hell you have made for yourselves and crawl back into your pathetic little holes under your pathetic little rocks. God has turned his back on you, because you have never listened to a word he said, only shouted the words you claim he has written. Enjoy God's wrath you short-haired bacon nibblers!"

Blaine and the others watched as Kurt seemed to radiate sheer force of will, "Go back home. NOW!"

.

A huge wind blinded everyone as lightning flashed down from the cloudless skies above.

When the after image faded, the street was empty, save for a lone placard which caught fire and burned to ashes as Kurt glared at it.

Patricia blinked slowly a few times and put on a brave face.  
>"So... boys...anything exciting been happening with you since I saw you last?"<p>

Blaine and Kurt looked worriedly at each other.

.

"Want to introduce me to your gay angel friends? The big guy is kind of cute. Does he have a straight, mortal, much older brother?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Rehearsals had started slightly late, mostly due to the security staff who insisted on scanning everything and everyone as they entered. The curtain had gone up only a few minutes late however, with all their family and friends sitting in the audience to offer them feedback and support.

.

Everyone had enjoyed watching Mercedes scream with excitement when she began her series of solos and duets at the beginning of the show and discovered that her duet partner had been changed.

She had turned as the unfamiliar voice had joined her in her duet of 'You Don't Know Me', to see Jamie Foxx sitting at the piano on the stage beside her, smiling at her.

"I'm glad we decided to spring that on her at the rehearsals, "Julie had quipped, "The audience may have wanted their money back if they had been deafened by that scream on the night!"

They had been forced to pause the rehearsal a few times due to some minor technical problems, but now they were back ahead of schedule.  
>It helped that they could just skip over the gaps arranged for linking up with the other concerts around the country.<p>

.

Luckily, what was scheduled now was a short break while some new lights were refocused.

Rachel and Mercedes caught a signal from Poppy which indicated that their special surprise for Kurt was ready.

Julie Taymor walked onstage and started ordering people around.  
>"Guys, listen up, while we wait for the lights to get fixed, I thought we might have a chance to just tidy up our little Gaga Tribute medley from the last act. A couple of the marks were being missed, and it's going to spoil the whole effect if half of you are in darkness and the other half are off the stage. Could we please run the beginning of 'Born This Way'? Places please, Kurt, get your ass up here, we'll do it from Blaine's final line to Dr Dillamont, ok?"<p>

Everyone sighed as they moved into their positions. Kurt and Blaine moved to the front of the stage where Kurt would be singing 'to' Blaine according to the roughly sketched story the concert was using as a through-line.

In the audience, Burt and Carole smiled at each other as they anticipated the surprise they had arranged for their son with the help of Mercedes, Rachel, and Julie Taymor.

_._

_I know I must sound totally ungrateful here, but I wish we could have seen the concert in Central Park tomorrow night_

_Kurt, we're opening in our own Broadway concert tomorrow, would you really rather..._

_Of course not, but...Blaine, it's Gaga!_

.

Blaine just rolled his eyes fondly at Kurt and snatched a quick kiss.

.

The music began as Blaine spoke the cue and Kurt moved forward to face the audience.

.

**It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H I M...**

.

The song was going well, Kurt thought, although Mercedes and Rachel had almost missed a cue after they kept staring into the wings.

It was as Kurt was singing the final chorus that he heard another, very familiar voice joining the New Directions and Warblers as they sang.

.

**No matter, gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life...**

.

Kurt turned to see a figure dressed in a Lycra body suit of vertical stripes of emerald green and shocking pink, and with a pale yellow Marie Antoinette wig perched on her head, come dancing onto the stage.

Blaine heard Kurt's shocked thoughts in his head.

_._

_Mother Monster!_

.

Lady Gaga danced over to Kurt and they sang the final chorus together.  
>As the music segued into the next song in the medley, Kurt made as if to speak, but Gaga sang the opening notes of Bad Romance loudly and proudly into his face and forced him, with her smile and eyes, to join her.<p>

.

The medley was meant to finish with Kurt and his 'sister', Rachel, joining hands as the others lifted them onto their shoulders.  
>Gaga had been prepared, she took Rachel's place.<p>

Kurt was lowered back to the stage, still clutching his idol's hands tightly.

"I...I..."

"You sing like an angel little monster. I'm so proud you are going to be looking after my music for all the people here tomorrow night."

Kurt was speechless.

"L...La..."

"Call me Gaga. All my friends do. May I call you Kurt?"

"Of course!"  
>Kurt finally found his ability to speak.<p>

"And this is your boyfriend? Oh my, you two together...it's almost too beautiful. Are you getting married in New York? You know we legalised..."

Kurt bit his lip and tried not to giggle.

"What did I say?"  
>Lady Gaga was very observant.<p>

"It's just...everyone..."

Blaine saved him.  
>"Everyone has been telling us about the legalisation of marriage, and Kurt said that the next time someone mentioned it he would... scream."<p>

Kurt blushed in embarrassment.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea, lets scream about it together Kurt!"

.

Lady Gaga, Kurt realised, was even cooler than he had ever imagined.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The first act was going smoothly, so far.

.

The assembled parents and friends were still sitting in the front rows of the theatre, enthusiastically cheering and clapping the performances.

Dave could see the image of his father in the monitor at Poppy's station as he sat quietly in the wings watching the Warblers perform one of their sections.  
>Patricia, the woman from the street was still sitting next to Paul.<br>She hadn't left his side since the boys had introduced them at the hotel after their run in with the Westboro mob.

"She seems quite taken with your Dad." Rachel whispered in Dave's ear as she sat beside him.

Poppy turned to them and frowned, gesturing for them to take any chat outside the stage area.

.

Rachel rose and Dave followed her as they moved down the corridor to a quieter spot. They could still hear the show from their positions, it wouldn't do to miss a cue after all.

"Rachel, "Dave asked quietly as they sat beside each other on a leather lounge, "Are you ok? With what happened this afternoon I mean. Everyone has been really thinking of Kurt and Santana and me and all the other gay guys, and asking if we are coping well, but no one has asked you if you are ok."

Rachel turned to him with a face made of stone, her eyes however betrayed her feelings.

"Why would I be...?"

"Rachel, you may not be gay, but you do have gay parents. It can't be easy or pleasant to hear people saying things like those people were saying this afternoon. Plus, I'm pretty sure you keep reminding everyone you're Jewish, and they weren't exactly kind to them either, were they."

Rachel smiled sadly as tears shimmered closer.

"I...I know that people can be really hateful sometimes, "She began quietly, "And now that I'm older , I notice it more...and...it...it makes me think...how hard must it have been for my Dads to keep the hatred and the cruelty away from me as a child, because I can't really remember anything horrible being said or anything until middle school?"

Dave reached out and took Rachel's hand.

"They love you very much Rachel."

"And they love each other too, that's what keeps us strong you know!"  
>Rachel was beaming with quiet pride.<p>

"I should thank you again for asking them to let me and Jeff talk to them. It really helped me, you know."

Rachel just smiled at Dave.

"Actually, Rachel...could I talk to you about...something?"

.

Rachel nodded.  
>"Is it about your solo? I know we've all been dying to find out what it is. Julie told us her original idea, but Stephen Schwartz has been working with you alone for two days now and we know the idea must have changed. Is it true that even the Warblers who were taught the harmonies haven't heard the full song yet?"<p>

"It's true..um... but Rachel, I..well I suppose I do need help with my song. I'm scared. What if I forget the words or I sing a wrong note or...Rachel, they're making me close the first act. Even I know that's a big thing. But it's not just the song. I need to talk to someone about...Jeff and I have...I've never...actually, no, I need to ask you about...oh God..."

Rachel had a feeling it wasn't singing that Dave was worried about, at least not entirely.

"Just ask me Dave."

.

"I...this morning, when Kurt and Blaine were being teased about...Rachel, Jeff and I have only ever kissed."

Rachel could see that this was a problem for Dave, but she couldn't for the life of her work out why.

"Kissing is good."

"We don't do anything else. We've tried...I've tried but...We kiss, sometimes. He kisses me usually. I only kiss him after he's nearly died or we've been shot at or something like that. But we only kiss and then...We've never made out. Never. Even more than a couple of kisses sends me into the freak-out zone. I'm... is that normal? It's not normal. I love him so damn much but..."

.

Rachel really wanted to tell Dave he should speak to her fathers again, but she sensed that this might well be the only time Dave would ever open up about this side of him.  
>Despite her reluctance and genuine squeamishness at what she was about to hear, she took a firm grip on the iron will and determination that had made her a star and smiled gently at him.<p>

"Why don't you start from the beginning Dave? What is it that you feel you and Jeff should be doing? What is it that has upset you so much about not doing...it?"

.

"I want to have sex. I want to make out with him. I want to...you know...and let him do it to me too..."

Dave made a gesture with hands and mouth that left Rachel in no way confused what he was talking about.

"And you can't because...?"

"I'm scared. I...I don't want to hurt him. I'm scared I'll lose control and...Rachel, it's like he's the other half of my soul. I don't know if I can keep control if...Just being near him is like heaven. When we touch, even just our fingers I feel like I'm on the scariest, fasted most terrifying rollercoaster ride in the world. When we kiss..."

Rachel got the idea.

.

"And is Jeff ready to take the next step in the physical side of your relationship?"  
>Rachel couldn't believe she was managing not to freak out.<p>

"I think...yes, yes he is. He would never pressure me, don't think he is doing that, please. But I know he wants to...you know...but I just...I want to so badly. I wake up at night after dreaming about it and I have to..."

.

Dave stopped in mid sentence as he suddenly noticed Rachel's pale face and uncertain smile.

.

"Oh my God, Rachel I'm so sorry. I...you must be freaking out. I shouldn't...oh I'm so...Damn it!"

Before he could stand and run off, Rachel stopped him with a gentle hand to his arm.

"Dave, it's ok. I admit I'm a little freaked out, but I'm a big girl Dave. I know about..."  
>She took a deep breath and channelled her inner-Barbra.<br>"...sex. Even gay sex. I know what people do, when they are in love and ready for it."

"Rachel, I'm so sorry. I don't...oh god. I am such a loser...I shouldn't have forced you to listen about..."

"Dave! I may not know about being a gay man, or what it's like for you and Jeff. But I do know about being scared of sex. I do know about being afraid to take that step, and about feeling like you're not worthy of love, not worthy of happiness."

.

Dave's eyes filled with tears as she hit the nail on the head.

"What can I do?"

He sounded so lost.

Rachel decided to treat both his issues as one.

.

"You need to concentrate on something that doesn't let those feelings of doubt or self hate in. This applies to both your solo, and to you and Jeff, so listen up Karofsky, you big Neanderthal!"

Dave smiled faintly at hearing his old moniker tossed in his face.

"When I get stage fright..."

"You? You're Rachel Freaking Berry! You don't get..."

"I do Dave, every time. Every single time."

"What do you do?"

"Concentrate on the music. Concentrate on Jeff. Think of nothing but the music and the words and most importantly on your feelings. Let the emotion fill you until you just can't keep it in your body and you need to let it out to the audience..."

Dave made as if to ask something.

"...I'm talking about your song here Dave, the sex part is best done without an audience."

.

Dave smiled as she made the joke.

"Just let the feelings tell you what to do. If you and Jeff are ready, and yes, this is about sex now, if you are truly ready, you'll never be able to hurt him Dave. And he won't hurt you. If you let your love and trust in each other make up for your lack of trust in yourself, you'll know how far to go each time. I can see the two of you and how you look at each other. You'll be fine Dave. Just let the feeling take you on the scary ride. You have wings remember, you are made to fly. And if you should fall, Jeff has wings too, he can catch you."

Dave found himself drawing the tiny girl into a huge hug.

Rachel smiled wryly.  
>"Besides, you have those rings. You only get those if your love is perfect, isn't that right?"<p>

.

Dave pulled back to look at her.

"No Rachel, that isn't...are you...?"

"Insanely jealous of you and Jeff and Blaine and Kurt and...? Yes, I am. I know I'm a selfish, spoiled little Jewish Princess, and I know it's a dumb thing to be jealous of, but I wish I had a love a pure as yours. I know I will never get a ring like that though, not because Finn and I don't love each other, but because I'm too selfish to ever..."

"They aren't a reward you know." Dave interrupted her, "They are more like a foundation. Being...what we are, means that sometimes we can't think of ourselves. We need some way to make sure that the other person can be there for us when we spend too much of ourselves helping the world."

Rachel nodded, she almost understood that.

.

"Rachel, you don't need a ring. You're pretty magical without one. Hell, if I were straight, and wasn't in love with Jeff, and Finn wasn't my friend, I'd totally be onto you like a shot!"

Rachel giggled as he made puppy-dog eyes at her.

"David Karofsky, if not for all the aforementioned things, I would accept."

"Wanna be my fag hag instead?"

Rachel slapped him playfully on the chest and laughed out loud.

"I think that's Blaine's last solo starting now, "She said, "We better get ready for our medley, and then..."

Dave paled and gulped nervously.

.

"Don't sweat it Dave, you'll be fine, just let the music in you sing out."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave took a deep breath as he listened from behind the backdrop to the New Directions belting out yet another amazing song.

.

He really still couldn't fathom why Julie Taymor and Stephen Schwartz had insisted on him playing this part.

It was bad enough that he had lines, even if only a few, but the responsibility of closing the first act...

At least he loved the song.

.

It spoke deeply to him, and even though he had loved the original version, as sung by the woman who had written it, he knew just enough about music to realise that a deep voice would make some parts of it even better.

.

He just couldn't believe that his voice was good enough.

.

He looked to his left and right and caught glimpses of the Warblers who would be joining him on some of the harmonies.

He was scared now. They had never even rehearsed together, how could he...

Dave stopped his thoughts and concentrated on Rachel's advice.

.

Just think about the music, think about Jeff, let the music take you, let go.

He would do this, for her.

.

The stage was left in darkness and Dave felt the curtain in front of him whisked up into the flies.

He walked forwards slowly, ten paces as rehearsed and felt the anticipation of the people in the crowd.

There were only a few really.  
>Mostly family and friends of the performers, as well as the friends and colleagues of some of the celebrity performers too.<br>There were also a few secret service people here and there, but no one really paid much notice of them anymore.

Dave heard the simple piano notes that meant his song had begun

He began as he had rehearsed it, singing in almost pitch black darkness.

**In the morning it comes  
>Heaven sent a hurricane<br>Not a trace of the sun  
>But I don't even run from rain<strong>

A single spotlight pierced down from high above the audience, its beam directed perfectly onto his face and upper body by the small transmitter attached to his radio microphone.  
>Dave looked out into the darkness, imagining Jeff's face there.<p>

**Beating out of my chest  
>Heart is holding on to you<br>From the moment I knew  
>From the moment I knew<strong>

As he moved with his fellow Warblers from their spot in the wings, and began their harmony, Jeff almost wept as he heard the resonant throb of Dave's chest voice breaking his heart with the sheer beauty of that deep note.  
>Everyone in the audience was spellbound.<br>Paul felt his very bones aching as he heard his son singing his love out loud to the world.

**You're the air in my breath  
>Filling up my love soaked lungs<strong>

The stage slowly lit up, revealing the Warblers as they walked closer to the lone figure limned by light.  
>The only instrument playing was the single piano, all other accompaniment was from the voices of the boys on stage.<br>Dave turned his face to the light beaming down from the ceiling onto him.

**Such a beautiful mess  
>Intertwined and overrun<strong>

**Nothing better than this**  
><strong>Ooh, and then the storm can come<strong>

He felt a moment of tension as his voice moved to the highest notes he could reach, and into the dangerous 'break' zone of the male voice, where emotion and danger made the sound carry pure feeling.  
>Dave closed his eyes and concentrated on his feelings.<p>

**You feel just like the sun  
>Just like the sun<br>**

Without conscious thought, Dave turned his unseeing face directly to where Jeff stood.

How does he know where he is? Julie thought as she watched from the front row.

**And if you say, "Be alright"  
>I'm gonna trust you, babe<br>I'm gonna look in your eyes**

Dave opened his eyes and looked into Jeff's eyes.  
>The two boys found themselves unable to look away, or even blink.<p>

**And if you say, "Be alright"  
>I'll follow you into...<br>... the light**

Any trace of nerves or fear Dave had still felt was burned away by the sheer warmth and love he felt rising from Jeff's gaze.  
>Dave's voice strengthened and grew richer and more powerful as he relaxed into his emotions and Jeff was trapped in his eyes.<br>While he and the Warblers continued their rehearsed harmonies Jeff found himself singing them directly to Dave, turning the solo into an almost duet.  
>He knew Mr Schwartz might be mad, but neither boy could help it.<p>

**Never mind what I knew  
>Nothing seems to matter now<br>Ooh, who I was without you  
>I can do without<br>**  
><strong>No one knows where ends<br>How it may come tumbling down  
>But I'm here with you now<br>I'm with you now**

**And if you say, "Be alright"**  
><strong>I'm gonna trust you, babe<strong>  
><strong>I'm gonna look in your eyes<strong>  
><strong>And if you say, "Be alright"<strong>  
><strong>I'll follow you into...<strong>  
><strong>... the light<strong>

Dave forgot where he was, he forgot his blocking, and his direction.  
>All he could see was Jeff, all he could think of was Jeff.<br>Dave felt music coursing around him, and feeling welling up inside him.  
>He let the music fill him, the way...someone... had told him he should.<br>He let go.

Jeff and Dave moved to each other as if drawn by gravity.  
>Their hands clasped and suddenly Jeff began to glow.<br>Dave's voice became raw with emotion and everyone in earshot began to weep as they felt exactly what he was feeling as he sang with almost a scream of pain.

**Let the world come rushing  
>Come down hard, come crushing<br>All I need is right here beside me**

Dave's wings appeared, as did Jeff's, and the two boys were suddenly spinning arm in arm over the audience, lit by their own halos and dancing together in the darkness in mid air.

**I'm not enough, I swear it  
>But take my love and wear it<br>Over your shoulders  
><strong>

Slowly the boys returned to the stage and continued to sing to each other alone.  
>Those watching felt as if they were being granted the privilege of watching a sacred moment, as if this were the exchange of vows at a wedding, or the final prayer at a naming ceremony.<p>

**And if you say, "Be alright"  
>I'm gonna trust you, babe<br>I'm gonna look in your eyes  
>And if you say, "Be alright"<br>I'll follow you into the light**

**The Light**

**The Light**

As the piano faded and the final harmonies of the Warblers died out, Jeff and Dave realised what they had done.

Julie Taymor, Poppy and the rest of the crew were standing on the stage or sitting in the stalls staring at the two of them.  
>The new arrivals from Lima sat, stunned.<br>Paul found Patricia sobbing gently into his shoulder as she kept murmuring 'love, love, God is love'.

One of the secret service agents, a hard bitten giant of a man who was in charge of Presidential security at this venue, surreptitiously wiped a tear from his cheek and accepted the handkerchief offered to him by an equally teary Shannon Bieste.

Julie looked from Dave to Jeff, and then across into the wings to an ashen faced Kurt and Blaine.

"You know, "She said quietly, her voice still shaken, "When I was lucky enough to find you guys the day I was going to have to cancel my show, I thought my prayers had been answered..."

"I think they kind of were."  
>Lady Gaga was sitting in the stalls next to a wide-eyed Emma Pillsbury.<p>

.

"I think they kind of were too." Said Julie.


	47. The Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: Hi all, yes - I am still alive! yay me!**

**So sorry for the long pause - changing work schedules, life events, illness and family committments have meant that I had to let something slide, and this poor little defenceless story was the victim.**  
><strong>Add to that the fact that this chapter was turning into a monster - the writing doesn't take up that much of my energy and time - it's the EDITING that is the hard part.<strong>

**In the end - I took the advice of a friend (_Windrider1967_, love you!) and just tore a manageable chunk off the front end of the monster and edited THAT.**  
><strong>Hopefully I will be brave enough to get the rest done soon - but I had to get SOMETHING out to reassure you guys that I'm still active. (and I have a thing about Authors who get me all excited with an update which turns out to be a 'sorry for not updating' note instead)<strong>** It may be a bit shorter than recent monsters, but at least it's HERE. (and more happens in it than I originally thought - it just happens between and behind the lines)**  
><strong>Reviews are always welcomed and helpful - they goad me into keeping plugging away if nothing else!<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or any of the characters in it. I do own my original characters, but feel free to play with them if you want to.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"This is going to be the least prepared and most 'seat-of-the-pants' show in the history of Broadway." Bernadette Peters was grinning as she said it though.

"I know, "Julie Taymor sighed, "But what can we do?"

Both women were whispering to each other as the assembled cast, crew, family, friends and security detail for the concert sat in the stalls of Radio City Music Hall and listened to the incredible tale being told to them by the unlikely group assembled on the stage.

Scepticism had been gradually diminishing as the tale had progressed though, due mostly to the way that the group telling the story, particularly the two boys at the centre of it, had been able to demonstrate immediately that their claims of super-powers and magical forms were entirely real.

The secret service agent who had shot Blaine in the head was still apologising to both of them.

"It's ok honey, "Carole was telling him, "It must have been a shock to find a Dragon flying in front of you."

"But I shot him after he changed back, "The man said sadly, "I was scared and I froze when I saw the Dragon, and then I just..."

"Well, no harm no foul." John Anderson patted the man's arm awkwardly. "At least it was a head shot, so his costume didn't get damaged."

**.**

**FLASHBACK**

When the shot had rung out, everyone, including the agent in charge of the secret service detail for the venue had turned to see the man shaking and pale as he looked at the gun he held like it was unfamiliar to him.

Blaine, who had just returned to his human form after showing his audience that he really was a Dragon, slumped to the floor, a bullet hole trailing a small amount of blood down his face.

Kurt had frozen for a second, but before he could panic he felt his boyfriend's presence in his mind.

_Well...that smarts_

_Blaine! Are you..._

_I'm ok Kurt. I can feel it starting already_

The Special Agent in charge of the others was shouting at the gunman now. It seemed to be equal parts disappointment at him discharging his weapon when not under immediate threat, hesitating to fire after he had made the decision to shoot and a huge part of the diatribe seemed to be about the man using the wrong ammunition in his gun.

"We're unlikely to be facing tanks or men in body armour in a theatre Jenkins! "His boss screamed at him, "What possessed you to use armour-piercing rounds instead of the soft-nosed bullets you were issued?"

Everyone turned away from where the agent was being shouted at by his boss as Lady Gaga gasped in shock.

Blaine's body was glowing faintly with a golden light, shot through with silver sparks.  
>Within seconds his form was almost hidden by the powerful light.<br>As they watched, the bullet wound seemed to melt as it glowed even more brightly and Blaine's eyes fluttered open.

"Ouch." Blaine muttered quietly as he was helped to his feet by a shaken Kurt.

"Don't even think about it!" Kurt snapped as a couple of the other agents had tensed and begun to reach for their weapons. "No weapons in here. Not anymore, I'm taking your toys away from you until you learn how to play nicely."

At Kurt's further urging one of the agents had taken out her gun and attempted to fire it.  
>It didn't work.<p>

**AND WE'RE BACK**

.

"Are you the reason our phones and radios aren't working either?" The Agent in charge introduced himself as Mark O'Bannon with a wry smile.

"I just think you need to hear the whole story before you start contacting other people." Kurt responded.

"I think we need to get everyone here before we launch into a full exposition, "Kurt said softly, "Dad, could you go get Lord T, Meggle and Dog and bring them back please?"

The Berry's and Trent's parents, who were sitting on either side of Burt and Carole, blinked in shock as Burt Hummel nodded to his son and was suddenly no longer there.

A few moments later he appeared beside Kurt on the stage carrying two cats and holding the collar of a large black dog.

.

"I hear the excrement has struck the air moving device, "Lord Tubbington drawled.

Several of the agents and a few of the stage crew began to look ill.

"Hey, the cat sounds exactly like my first manager!" Tony Bennett whispered in Lady Gaga's ear, "The man smoked a box of hand-rolled Cubans every day of his life until he died aged ninety four. "

"Was it related to the smoking?" Bernadette Peters asked as she overheard.

"Sort of, he drowned trying to rescue his humidor during a hurricane in St Kitts back in seventy two."

.

The storytelling continued for some time.

Once the full tale had been told, in as much detail as possible given the limited time they had, the assembled people had surprised the boys, and possibly themselves, by agreeing to keep the secret.

"I'll still need to tell my boss, "Mark had added, "And he'll need to brief the President himself, but I suspect he already knows something about all this. When we were assigned to New York for this detail, he said kept talking to us about keeping our minds as open as our eyes and ears. I get the impression that he already knows a bit about this magic stuff, which means someone in the White House must know about it too."

"What makes you so sure?" Tina asked shyly.

"Well, every major event that involves Presidential security like this is given a codename, so that we can be clear who and what is needed when and where."

Shannon Bieste nodded her understanding.  
>"You always codename your important plays so that when it comes time to sing from the same songbook everyone is pulling against the right grindstone."<p>

Mike blinked a little and then smiled at her.  
>"The lady is not only attractive, she's smart too."<p>

Coach Bieste blushed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

.

"So what is the President's visit to Radio City called?" Quinn asked, "If it wouldn't compromise your security to tell us of course."

"I think the President wouldn't mind us sharing his secrets with you guys, not once he knows about your secrets."

Dave and Jeff smiled nervously and Jeff reached his hand out, without looking, and entwined his fingers in Dave's shaking grasp.

"I am in charge of Operation Oberon." Agent O'Bannon smiled as the name was recognised by most of his listeners.  
>Rachel could be heard whispering an explanation to Finn.<br>Puck let out a small laugh, causing those near him to raise their eyebrows questioningly.

"What? I've read the play. It's got my name in it remember. And even if I say so myself, I am pretty damn kickass in that play."

"You are most gracious Mr Puckerman, "Lord Tubbington said simply, "Although I still feel that William and Anne did 'paint my lily and gild pure gold' more than a little."

Puck stared at the cat as Elaine Anderson whispered a quick explanation in his ear.

.

"I'm just glad that with all the chaos and scary stuff happening out there, someone is on our side." Poppy smiled at the boys she had come to know so well.

"Epic lack of Freak-Out here, I like!" Artie grinned as he high-fived Lady Gaga who was nodding her agreement.

"Actually, I think I would like to do a little freaking out, "Julie Taymor said with a wry smile, "But in private. Perhaps we need to call it a night? Everyone back here by twelve tomorrow, we'll be supplying lunches for you all. Those of you, who will be watching us from Central Park, thank you so much for your patience and enthusiasm tonight. I hope you have a great time at the concert, and I'm sure your friends and children are going to really do you proud."

"We should get going too I think, "Mike O'Bannon smiled as his agents prepared to depart for the night.  
>As he left he smiled and winked his thanks to Coach Bieste for the use of her hanky.<p>

.

"Who is going to be at my concert tomorrow?" Lady Gaga asked, taking note of the raised hands, "Excellent. I'll make sure to send you all my positive energies tomorrow night, although I'm not sure I can reach the heights of a couple of angelic lovers breaking your hearts as they sing to each other."

Dave and Jeff blushed furiously. Jeff's mom and step-father gave the boys identical cheesy grins and double thumbs up, which made everyone laugh.  
>Paul Karofsky just sat beside Patricia and smiled gently, his eyes shimmering with tears.<p>

"I'm just hoping we can avoid anymore crazy or dangerous stuff happening, " Steffi said quietly, her hand resting on her swollen belly.

.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other for a second, obviously sharing one of their freaky instantaneous conversations, then they nodded to each other.

"I think Kurt and I can do something to help there, "Blaine said quietly.

"Darn it, I forgot to tell him to grab the..."

"It's ok Kurt, I got this one, alright?" Blaine smiled at him as he took a form grip of his boyfriend's hand.  
>He concentrated for a second or two.<p>

"Jeff, Dave , we need you to boost us for a second." Kurt reached his hand out to take Dave's much larger one.

Blaine smiled as he felt the jolt of extra power coming from the pair.  
>"Accio Rucksack"<p>

With a muffled clinking noise the large, battered backpack Blaine loved to use for his school books appeared in his hand and he placed it carefully on the floor of the stage.

"Dave, I love you more than anything, but I have to be with Blaine now. He's Harry Frea..."  
>Jeff smiled as Dave growled and pulled him closer.<p>

"Please don't make jokes like that."

Jeff felt Dave's muscular arms around him and the warm, wide expanse of his chest pressed against him.  
>He looked into Dave's eyes and saw the fear and hesitation he had begun to become used to, but he also saw...<p>

"Sorry Big Bird, I was only teasing you."

Dave said nothing, but Jeff felt a strange stirring inside his head

_._

_...tonight...my turn to tease..._

.

Jeff smiled.  
>"I can hear your thoughts Dave." He whispered into the sensitive spot just behind Dave's left ear.<p>

.

Blaine had opened the bag and Kurt was helping him remove small cloth bags from the inner recesses of it.

Julie Taymor and the other stage crew had blinked with shock as the bag appeared, but nobody panicked, they had moved beyond that point several minutes ago.  
>The stage crew decided that they better leave and start getting ready to close the theatre up, leaving Poppy in the stalls to represent them.<p>

"You brought your coins here Mr Anderson?" The Cat, Lord Tubbington, seemed confused.

On the stage, the boys and the cat seemed to be in heated discussion.

"It won't work I tell you Mr Hummel, "Lord Tubbington said calmly, "They can only work for you and Mr Anderson, no-one else."

"They will work the way I want them to work, "Kurt said as he gave the cat his fiercest diva-glare, "Or I will not be happy."

Blaine stayed very still and very quiet.

"Blaine, can you send as well as..."

"I'm versatile Kurt." Blaine grinned at his boyfriend.

.

Puck sniggered from his seat in the stalls, earning his own share of the Hummel glare.  
>Puck found himself also becoming very still and quiet.<p>

.

"Ok, listen up people, "Kurt said quietly but everyone heard him easily.

"Blaine and I have discussed how we can best help keep all of you safe. Things have been bad at times we know, especially around us, and we have been extremely lucky so far that no one has been permanently or severely hurt. But that just can't last. There's no point in asking you to go home and stay safe, because..."

Blaine continued his boyfriend's speech as if they had rehearsed it.  
>"...because there's probably no place safe left anyway. Even if you were willing to go. So we're going to do our best to give you a bit of protection. Everyone hold out your hand, you too Mr Bennett, please."<p>

As everyone held their hand out Blaine closed his eyes and concentrated. Jeff and Dave automatically joined hands and each place a hand on Kurt's shoulders as he touched Blaine's face with his hand.

Burt smiled at Carole as he saw her, john Anderson and Blaine's mother also joining hands and felt their combined love pouring into him from only a few feet away.  
>He looked at his son's face and the face of his son's lover and let the love in him pour into both boys.<p>

Julie Taymor looked at the gold coin in her hand.  
>It hadn't been there a second ago.<p>

"These coins represent a wish, "Kurt said, "Please think about it for a little while, think about it carefully, then make a wish that will help you stay safe. We've found it works best if you make the wish something from your heart. Please use them to help protect yourselves or those you love. I don't know how powerful they will be, it will probably vary greatly, but hopefully this will help keep us all safe and together."

Julie looked at the coin in her hand.

Mike Chang looked at the coin in his, then into the eyes of Tina as she sat beside him.

Lady Gaga smiled and closed her eyes, whispering to herself.

Her coin vanished.

.

"What did you wish for?" Artie asked as he sat beside her.

"I wished for everyone to have the wisdom to make the best wish they could." She smiled at his confusion.

"But what about you? Didn't you want anything for yourself?" Emma Pillsbury asked timidly as she sat on Lady Gaga's other side, clutching her coin as tightly as she held the hand of Will Schuster.

"I'm Lady Gaga. What more could I possibly ever want? "

.

Lord Tubbington's keen senses had noted the exchange, and the disappearance of the coin.

"It...it worked!" He gasped softly.

**/Of course it worked Father, Would you go against the express wishes of Kurt Hummel?/**

Meggle snorted as he twitched an ear in her direction.

/**Kurt strong**/_sensation of gathering thunderstorm_/**Saved Dave**/_love love love_/**Meggle is right**/

Poppy, who was sitting nearby found herself nodding with agreement.

.

"I think we should all go home and get some rest, "Julie finally decided no one else was going to make a decision this evening.

"Great idea, "Carole smiled as she began to gather up Steffi's things. Rachel's dads started to take them to one of the buses that were waiting to get them back to the hotel.

Steffi insisted on struggling to her own feet, staggering the few steps from her seat to Artie's chair where she carefully lowered herself down onto his lap.  
>When she had done that on the short trip to the theatre nobody had said anything, due mostly to their surprise.<br>Now it was apparent that practically all the New Directions' girls wanted to ask the pair something.

"Steffi's legs are really hurting her, "Artie muttered slightly red in the face, "And it's not like I can get uncomfortable sharing my cool ride. Besides, it gives me someone to chat with if the in flight movie turns out a bit dull."

Steffi chuckled softly as she curled up in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Shut up fool, "She murmured, "Men always have to keep talking when they should just stop."

Artie blushed.

.

Santana met his eyes and winked at him, causing him to blush even more, but the small smile she shared with him was genuine and sweet.  
>For a split second anyone else looking at her would have been struggling to recognise the fiery Latina.<p>

"Have you forgiven Artie for hurting my feelings?" Brittany asked Santana softly as she linked pinkies with her.

"I know he never meant to hurt you."

"I knew that too! That is so amazing Santana!"

"I was always just jealous of him," Santana whispered as she looked both nervous and ashamed.

"But you know I love you now, don't you? And I know you know that I know that you know that I'm not going to cheat on you, even if the plumbing is different. I think you might have been wrong about that you know Santana. I mean..."

Santana placed an elegant finger on Brittany's lips and then gave her a quick kiss on the nose.

"I'm just glad Wheels has moved on to a new squeeze."

"Their wedding is going to be so pretty, your Goddaughter scattering rose petals and the break with tradition with both of them walking up the aisle together, they steal that idea from Kurt's wedding you know. Your red dress is a break with tradition too, but everyone looks so pretty in their rainbow dresses, even Rachel, but then she did get it designed specifically for her by Vera Wang, so I suppose it's not that much of a shock that she looks good. Kurt thought so, will think so...might think..will have might... oh darn, it's gone again."

Santana blinked.  
>"Britt, honey, what did you just say?"<p>

"About what?"

"You were talking about Kurt and about a dress and...and...about..."

Brittany smiled her dazzling smile.  
>"Oh well, if it's important someone will remember it later."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The ride home was short.  
>During the daytime the cast usually walked it. But with Steffi's condition becoming more delicate by the day and everyone feeling a little shell-shocked by the evening's events, the group felt better squeezing onto the buses for the brief journey back to Trump Tower.<p>

Everyone was conscious of the heavy, cold weight of the gold coin that they were carrying.

"What are you going to wish for?" Emma Pillsbury whispered to Coach Bieste who was sitting in the seat in front of her.  
>Beside her, Will Schuster was also leaning forward to whisper to Quinn.<p>

"I've already made my wish, "Shannon replied, "I just wished that I could be strong and tough enough to protect the people I love from harm, especially the kids."

Emma nodded, "You care about them so much Shannon. You know I'm a terrible counsellor don't you. I have so many of my own problems, but I'm learning how to help people. I'm trying. I just wish I could make a wish that would let me be the help that people need when they need it the most."

Shannon smiled as she heard the small gasp of surprise from the woman sitting behind her.

"Oh no! I just..."

"You made a great wish pumpkin! And you help people more than you know, you know! "

Beside them Quinn was talking softly to Will as he leant forward to be able to whisper to her.

"...I just...I don't know what to wish for. I don't want to waste this wish, but I just..."

"What Kurt said is the best advice I think, "Will Schuster said softly, "Just think about what your heart wants most of all, and make that wish."

"Well, what I want most of all is for Beth to be safe, and Shelby to be safe and with her. I want them to be wherever they are going to be safest, and they have to be together because Beth needs her mom."

"You think she needs you...?"

"No, Mr Schuester, not me. Rachel told me something Shelby said to her once. I am Beth's mother, but Shelby is her Mom. I'd just wish for them to be in the safest place possible, and with people who can keep them happy and unharmed."

"I think you just made your wish Quinn, "Will said softly as the bus pulled up to the entrance to the hotel.

Standing in front of the doors in a nightdress and dressing gown was a confused, strikingly attractive, dark-haired woman holding a small blonde child to her chest.

"Could someone please explain to me how the hell I got here?" She asked as the others began to exit the buses, "And where the hell I am!"

"Hi mom, "Rachel said as she exited the bus, "You're in New York. Come upstairs with us, we've got a lot to fill you in on."

Quinn looked at the woman and child as she finally exited the bus.  
>"Oops."<p> 


	48. The Morning After

**A/N: Hello all! Taking the sage advice of my Bunny Guru (Windriser1967) I have been tearing the chapter from hell into bite sized pieces and wrestling those into submission. **  
><strong>The only other alternative was to release, half edited and thoroughly wild upon the world a chapter that would (by its sheer length) make CP Coulter's <em>Dalton<em> look lke a Haiku. **  
><strong>I think the idea was a good one.<strong>

**What it means is that when I find a good point where either the story or the mood breaks or changes - that's where I excise the fragment and then begin to prune and shape.**  
><strong>The gardening metaphors will be understood once you've read the next bit of the story.<strong>  
><strong>For those who want a bit more action - it is coming, things are about to hit Warp Speed, and I need to make sure the Dilithium Crystals are aligned properly or we're sure to blow Captain. (please imagine your own version of a Scots accent there)<strong>

**Reviews, as always, are not only appreciated, but loved. (The love reference will also make sense after you read the story) - No prize involved, but see if you can pick where I've stolen certain extra-special words from and given them to a character who is not only speaking from their heart, but speaking words that have a magic power all of their own.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, nor do I seek to claim it, even if I had a flag it wouldn't work. Please take time to go smell your roses now, whatever they might be.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Noah Puckerman was thinking about the dream from last night.

.

He was no stranger to...those dreams. Hell, he was a badass sex-shark, remember!

This dream had been different.

As he lay on the kickass bed he had slept on, in the room he shared with Finn, Nick and Sam, he thought about the dream.

He couldn't recall the details, which was unusual.  
>Usually, when he dreamed about that sort of stuff, he could recall every lurid, sweaty detail.<p>

This time, all he could remember was the feelings the dream had stirred within him.

Puck smiled as he rolled onto his side and that was when his nose registered something strange.  
>He opened his eyes.<p>

Flowers...the room was filled with flowers...again.

Damn! Puck thought, Hummel and his hobbit are like rabbits.

.

Way to go Kurt!

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave Karofsky could smell flowers.

.

He lay on his right side, on the edge of the bed in the room he shared with Jeff.

He sighed as he thought about that.

Everyone thought they were sharing more than a room.  
>Everyone thought they were lovers.<p>

But Dave just...couldn't, which was why he had slept every night on the sofa in their suite.

He had to keep Jeff safe...and pure.  
>Jeff didn't deserve to be sullied by garbage like him.<br>Jeff didn't deserve being tied by those damned rings to a loser like Dave.

Dave didn't deserve Jeff.

.

So, to keep Jeff safe from Dave's subconscious, Dave had insisted on sleeping on the sofa.

.

Why could he smell flowers...again?

Dave lay on the edge of the bed and...

.

.

What?

.

Dave's sharp inhalation brought three things to him.

The scent of roses and other wildflowers filled his nostrils with their heady perfume.  
>A lithe, warm body pressed itself against his back, the long arms wrapping around him, pulling him backwards and preventing his fall off the edge.<br>He realised that the dream he had been recalling...wasn't a dream.

Dave began to remember what had happened last night...

.

.

After the tension of the day, the revelation of their secrets and the explanations and demonstrations demanded by Shelby Corcoran, Dave and Jeff had stumbled into their room more dead than alive.

Dave had quickly grabbed a shower while Jeff had insisted on performing at least a sketchy version of his twice daily yoga routine.

While Jeff had been taking his turn in the enormous bathroom of the suite they shared, Dave had turned the bed down for him, laid out his usual sleeping clothes and then sat on the sofa and listened to his I-pod while staring at the large television.  
>He had no idea what was on the screen he was 'watching'.<p>

When Jeff had come back into the room, a towel wrapped around his slender form, Dave had stared even more fixedly at the screen.

"Dave."

Dave couldn't hear him, his music was too loud.

"Dave?"

Dave's fingers twitched on the surface of his I-pod and the volume increased a little.

_._

_Ain't going to work Big Bird, I don't need your ears to cooperate to make you listen to me._

.

Well...damn.

_._

_What's wrong Dave? Please talk to me...please..._

.

Dave closed his eyes in the hope that Jeff wouldn't see his tears.

_._

_Empath here Dave. I don't need to see them, I can feel them. I can feel everything you try to hide from me, that you try to hide from yourself. It's no use ya big lug, I know you, I see you, and no matter how down on yourself you get, I love what I see._

_...so...so scared...I don't deserve..._

.

"To be happy?" Jeff said as he took the ear-buds from Dave's head and tossed them on the sofa.

.

Dave closed his eyes again and looked to the floor.  
>He nodded.<p>

"Dave, please look at me."

Dave could feel his tears threatening again, he could feel his desire coiling around his spine like a serpent...like a poisonous snake...like a deadly...

_._

_Look at me!_

.

Dave found himself obeying despite his best efforts to remain still and closed off.

Jeff's eyes and skin were glowing, making the droplets of water that still beaded his ivory skin seem like diamonds.  
>Diamonds that were projecting rainbows across the room.<p>

"I thought our powers didn't work on each other?" Dave said brokenly.

"Like Kurt says, the magic does what is best, because it comes from a place of caring."

Dave felt Jeff's power wrap him up and force his inner demons into silence.

.

"You are a fool David Karofsky, a fool. You're so convinced that I am some sort of pure, perfect creature, and that being touched by you would somehow destroy me. Well I'm not pure. I'm a human being, I have flaws and imperfections. I make mistakes and I sometimes need forgiveness..."

Dave was transfixed, just staring at the beautiful glowing man before him.

"...you have already touched me Dave. I've seen all that you are. I've seen the dark and the light. I've seen the parts of you that make you the most ashamed, and the parts that you don't even know, the parts that make you so much better than you think you are. You are a human being too Dave, we're all just people. We aren't meant to be perfect. We are made to be flawed, to be wrong, to make mistakes."

Dave felt the huge waves of love and admiration that rose from Jeff and surrounded him like the swell of the ocean.

"But I..."

"You are loved Dave. You are special. You are forgiven, and honoured and cherished. With this ring...I..."  
>Jeff held up his hand to show Dave where the gift from the magic itself was shining on his hand almost as brightly as the tears in his eyes.<p>

"... we, became more than ourselves alone. You will never have to face the world alone again Dave. You never have to face yourself alone again. I pledge myself to you. You are needed. I need you Dave. I worship you. From what Kurt and Blaine have told us, I could live and love and be happy without you, but I wouldn't be all that I am now. I wouldn't be even half of what I am now. I don't even mean the magic Dave, I mean me. Without you completing me, I would fail. I would be empty and worthless..."

Jeff allowed the magic to forge a stronger link between them than he had ever dreamed was possible.

"...I need you. I want you. I give myself to you, freely, all of me. Listen to my soul Dave, feel what I feel. We can't lie to each other, I can't lie to you and I won't let you lie to yourself. You are the reason my heart keeps beating. You are the reason my lungs pump air through my body. You are in every thought I think, and every word I utter. You are what I dream about, and why I dream..."

Jeff's eyes had shimmered with even more tears as he held his arms out to the frightened man on the sofa.

"...let yourself be loved Dave. We don't have to do anything so scary. I can feel your fear and your doubts, my heart, but I want you to just come to me. Lie on the bed beside me. Let us just look at each other. Just be with me, that's all you have to do, just lie there and be with me."

Dave had watched the muscles of Jeff's naked torso and arms flexed as the beautiful young man pulled him from the seat and led him to the bed.

_._

_Just be here for me, and let me be her for you._

.

"I feel...it's not really right if you're wearing a towel and I'm wearing..." Dave indicated his shorts and T-shirt and looked to where he had set out Jeff's clothes for him.

"So take them off."

.

Dave felt Jeff's power keeping his fears and self loathing at bay. He knew they were there, it wasn't as if Jeff had hypnotised him, but he finally had the freedom to think for himself for once.

.

Dave had closed his eyes and gulped as he stripped his clothing from his trembling form.

When he opened his eyes, Jeff had dropped the towel.

_._

_You are so beautiful_

.

Neither of them could tell whose thought that had been.

.

.

"Lie with me?" Jeff asked, his face shining with more than mere magic.

.

They had lain beside each other for an age of the world, just staring into each other's eyes.

Dave found his tears flowing as he gazed into Jeff's soul.  
>Jeff was weeping gently too.<p>

From somewhere deep within himself, Dave felt the magic wielded by his boyfriend loosening something tightly bound and hidden away.

_._

_...Jeff...please...use your magic...help me..._

.

He screamed without sound as Jeff's powers found all the self-hatred and doubt he had tucked away within his soul and burned them away with the pure silver flame of his love.

.

After a time the pain faded, and he found himself floating among a sea of stars in a darkness that was both alien and familiar.  
>Like two planets bound together by gravity they danced around their common point, slowly floating through the vast blackness.<p>

Time ceased to have meaning.  
>They were as old as the universe now, and as newly born as an idea.<p>

No words were spoken, no thoughts were shared, they just stared, letting themselves feel.

After centuries of staring, they had allowed their eyes to roam, each discovering the beauty and the wonder of the world before them.

When their gazes had met again it was with the comfortable familiarity of old, old friends.

_._

_Hello Snuffy._

_Hello Bird._

.

The two men had smiled at each other.

"Can I...?" Jeff was the hesitant one now.

"Oh God, yes!" Dave had reached his own hand out to caress Jeff's face.

They were so tuned to each other now, that even telepathy was obsolete.  
>Jeff's body had moved closer to him, his hands had reached out.<p>

Worlds collided.

.

Dave was smiling as he remembered their late-night explorations of the strange new world and he drew the cool morning air into his lungs as he prepared to get up and conquer this wonderful new day.

Now...why could he smell flowers?

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"It wasn't us!"

Kurt was glaring at Santana as she looked up from the table in the conference room where, as usual, Song Lee had arranged breakfast for the group.

.

Santana merely smirked more widely as she continued to weave the beautiful plum coloured roses she was holding into Brittany's hair.

"Blaine, Kurt, what the hell did you..."  
>Trent was trying hard not to laugh as he stood beside Thad and watched the Warbler Council member struggle to ask his question without actually having to say the words.<p>

"I... really guys, it wasn't us. We didn't..." Blaine was trying not to complete his sentence either.

"You're telling me the two of you didn't get up to any sort of messing round last night? "Mercedes said sardonically, the doubt radiating from her face like heat.

"Well, we...I mean...we just..." Blaine was flummoxed.

"We didn't do anything unusual or new for us. We did nothing that we haven't done many, many times... "Kurt said, coming to his rescue then stopping suddenly.

.

"Then where did all the flowers come from?" Jon asked as he presented a bouquet of baby's breath and yellow roses to a giggling Coach Bieste.

"These flowers are different from Kurt and Blaine's flowers." Tina noted as she made a chain from the large clump of daisies that was blooming beside the coffee maker.

.

"I love the climbing roses, "Judy Fabray said as she plucked one from the wall near her head and tucked the wine coloured bloom into her hair, "Such an unusual colour, and the way they have almost covered every wall in the building, they make the place feel so special."  
>Pete who was bringing her a tray laden with coffee and fruit salad giggled and made a great show of smelling the rose she was wearing.<p>

.

"Oh God, "Kurt moaned, "Donald Trump is going to kill us for trashing his hotel."

"You haven't trashed it, "Steffi quipped, "You've just...botanically enhanced it. Knowing him, he'll be buying a chain of florists when he gets back so he can make some more money from his strange magical hotel slash nursery slash love shack."

.

Artie smiled at her joke, but his eyes weren't as convincing as he wanted them to be.

"What's wrong man?" Mike Chang asked him quietly as he passed Artie a coffee.

Artie sighed and glanced around to check who was still listening in.

.

Only a handful of his New Directions buddies were in earshot, and as he looked Quinn and Coach Bieste left the room, both of them helping Steffi as she made yet another toilet visit.

.

"Sam honey! Where are your folks?" Mercedes asked as she waved the blond over to where Kurt, Artie and the others were sitting.

"They wanted to stay in for breakfast, "Sam mumbled, "Rachel's dads have taken Stacey and Stevie to the park for a walk to give them some 'alone time' if you get my drift."

"Will they be ok? I mean, by themselves, without Kurt or Dave or... what if more of that weirdness..." Mike was concerned.

"Oh, you weren't here earlier were you? "Rachel smiled at him, "My Dads and I came up really early, we're all early risers you know, that's where I get it from, and Lord Tubbington had something for them."

Her eyes were overflowing with pride.

.

"He gave them the rings then?" Kurt smiled as Rachel deflated just a little from not being able to surprise him.

"How did you...?"

"Who do you think gave them to Lord Tubbington? "Blaine smiled at her, "It turns out, with my Grandpa missing, Kurt and I are now the most powerful members of the Society in this area, so new rings appear with us for distribution."

"Wait, "Tina asked, "Your Dads got magical rings? Oh my God Rachel, you must be so happy and proud."

"I'm not sure, "Rachel said seriously, "I was talking to Dave yesterday. From what he was telling me, the rings aren't some sort of prize. Getting a ring means you're actually joining the army to fight for all of us I think."

"It also means that your parents are both brave, selfless and utterly loving men Rachel, "Blaine told her.

"Plus this means that they'll be able to look after you and keep you safe!" Kurt smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

.

.

"So, your parents are...you know, too?" Artie asked Sam as the blond sat beside him.

"You mean...messing around...I know, it's disturbing isn't it. Does that mean your folks are...?"

Artie rolled his eyes.

"So are mine." Muttered Blaine

"Dad sent me a text not expect him or Carole until at least ten."

"All of them? At their age!" Artie muttered.

"There must be something in the air-conditioning, because my mom and dad are having a 'serious lie in' this morning too, with very little sleep involved I suspect. Also...I know that a certain someone wasn't in the bed across from me most of the night, was she?"  
>Mercedes snorted with laughter as Tina and Mike blushed.<p>

.

"How did you? Did I wake you as I left?" Tina asked softly.

"No, I got woken by the same damn dream girl. Luckily you sneaked out, because about five minutes later you would have been woken up by someone sneaking in to our room.

Sam blushed.  
>"We just...nothing happened. I just needed to see her, talk to her."<p>

"Did you have the dreams too?" Mercedes asked Rachel, Puck and Kurt.

.

"Dreams? "Tina blushed again, "I...yes, that's what woke me up. I just needed to be with Mike and I sneaked out and..."

"...and she literally bumped into me as I was sneaking down the corridor to you guys' room."  
>Mike laughed at the memory.<p>

"Thanks for not turning me in Mercedes, Mike and I just needed to be alone together. We came up here and just sat on the couch over there and snuggled."

"But we didn't see..."Rachel stopped as she realised what she had done.

"You and Finn were so busy out there on the garden bench that we could have rehearsed Mike's dance solo, complete with the band and Tony Bennett singing and you wouldn't have heard us Rachel."

.

Rachel and Finn both blushed as Tina winked at them.

"Did you have that dream about the singing planets dancing through the galaxy too? Santana and I totally made out in the linen storeroom because of that dream. One of the locks must have been damaged by someone shoving a pickle into it because Santana said pickling it was so easy that they might as well just leave it open. We both woke up from the hot dreams at the same time and since Coach Bieste is sharing our room now, Santana said we should go for a walk to cool off, but it was actually pretty hot in that closet, which is kind of funny because when I said it was hot in the closet Santana just laughed and said that she was sick of being in the closet and when I tried to open the door so we could continue our walk she said that she meant that meteorically which by the way my mom says is what makes shooting stars and then I forget what happened after that because we had more of those dreams hit us but this time we were awake and I felt dizzy so Santana made me a nest on the floor out of towels. If anyone needs a towel in the next few days you might want to make sure they don't get them from the linen closet on the forty seventh floor because it was really hot in that closet despite what Santana said and I know I was sweating a lot onto them. "

Santana just sat looking at Brittany with a startled expression on her face.

.

"Darn this tinnitus, 'Rachel said screwing up her face and wiggling a finger in her right ear, "I missed that Britt..."

"It's ok Rachel, I think I'm ready."  
>Santana was pale, but her hand was being held by Brittany and she was looking into her eyes like it was already time for the fireworks display.<p>

Rachel stopped her finger wiggling and smiled softly back at the Latina.

.

"I dreamed too, "Puck said almost in a whisper, "But I just stayed in our room. I...I've never felt like that before."

"You ok Puckerman?" Lauren's tone was mocking, but the look in her eyes was tender and concerned.

Artie felt compelled to reach out to touch Puck's arm.  
>Puck opened his hand and held Artie's smaller hand in it, not crushing it, but definitely feeling a need to be connected to someone.<p>

"You never...what do you mean Puck?" Tina asked softly.

"I... I'm a sex shark. I'm badass, but last night...I've never felt what those dreams were about. I've probably had more sex than all the people in this room combined. I have no idea how many ladies I've been with, only three guys though, at least I kept track of that...but I've never...was that how it is for you and Mike? Or for you and Blaine, Kurt? Is that...?"

.

"That was love, not sex." Artie said softly, "I dreamt it too, I just couldn't go snuggle with...with... anyone...not that I have anyone to snuggle with, but even if I did, it would have been too hard to get me out of bed anyway."

"So you just lay there? All alone?" Puck had shining eyes and his voice was even softer than it had been before.

"I'm cool." Artie deflected with a wry grin, "This set of wheels only has seating for one anyway."

Puck sat looking at him for a few seconds, then laughed and fist-bumped his friend as usual.

"I just lay there and freaked out." Puck finally said, his eyes meeting Lauren's, "I...I don't deserve to have that with you Lauren. Not after the way I've been treating you, like a prize to win or a challenge to conquer. I guess I need to learn how to earn the right to snuggle, don't I?"

"You're making a quite persuasive case for inclusion on the 'making out' list Puckerman, keep it up."

Puck's smile was so shy and small that it would have passed without notice if not for the fact that everyone in their small group was staring at him.

.

"Ok, we've been in a deep and meaningful for a long, long time now, "Mercedes muttered, "Why has no one interrupted us yet?"

Blaine looked over at Kurt who just winked slightly and turned the ring on his finger around a few times.

_._

_You are getting very good at this Mr Hummel_

_I try to stop it, Blaine, but my natural fabulousness just has to bubble to the surface and shine through_

.

Leaving Puck and Lauren a small bubble of privacy to hold hands in, Kurt and the others moved away to gather their own breakfasts and chat to the others.

.

A few minutes later Dave and Jeff arrived in the room.

"About time you two lovebirds got here!" Nick teased, "You have to come try some of the peaches from Klaine's room. They are truly out of this world!"

.

"You still have fruit trees in your suite?" Dave's response was automatic.

"They appear to be permanent now, "Kurt sighed, "At least we don't seem to need to water them...yet."

.

"So...Dave and Jeff..." Wes had a strange gleam in his eye, "Do you know how it comes to be that the entire hotel is not only filled with flowers again, but with huge, exotically coloured climbing roses who's perfume seems to be some potent form of aphrodisiac? That's not to mention the rather disturbingly romantic and more than slightly sexual dreams which almost everyone in our little extended gang seems to have experienced last night?"

Dave's blush and Jeff's high pitched laughter were a definite first clue.

.

"Wait a minute, you had the dreams too? Who did you dream about Wes?"  
>Flint was bounding over from where he and Brock had been throwing cherries at each other's open mouths.<p>

.

Rachel saw the sudden tension in the shoulders of both Wes and David and the two Angels and suddenly leapt in front of the other Warblers.

"Wes! As the leaders of our respective choirs I feel we need to discuss something of great importance to the future relationship between our rival teams. Walk with me. You too David. Kurt, could you see to it that we aren't disturbed please, this is top secret."

She was really pulling out all the obnoxious stops.

Kurt smiled at her and nodded slightly.

"Rachel, actually, since Wes has technically graduated now that school is..."  
>Blaine was interrupted by a sharp mental dig from Kurt.<p>

_._

_Ow! That actually almost hurt. What the heck Kurt?_

_Shut up my gorgeous but oblivious beloved_

_Why? If Rachel wants to talk to..._

_She doesn't want to talk to them, not about that at any rate, just smile and kiss me you idiot._

_But what...Ow!_

_I think our two 'three' friends may have done a little arithmetic after that dream woke them up._

_Oh..._

.

Blaine kissed Kurt.

"I felt lonely." Kurt explained simply as the others looked at them.

.

Dave and Jeff gathered together a simple breakfast and sat at a table near where Lauren and Puck were still in serious discussion.

After a few minutes Kurt and Blaine joined them.

.

"We may have the wings, but I think Rachel is the real angel this morning." Jeff smiled at them.

.

Puck and Lauren looked up and after silent enquiry joined the foursome at the table.

"What's up Big K?" Puck asked, "Did you and Golden Boy here finally..."

"Puckerman, what were we just talking about?" Lauren growled.

.

Dave blinked as Puck subsided into silence and bit his lip.

After a few seconds of awkwardness, Dave took a deep breath.

.

"I thought the flower thing was only you two guys." He finally muttered, glaring at Kurt and Blaine.

"See! Not us!" Kurt hissed reflexively at Puck who rolled his eyes and nodded.

"So you two did..." Blaine was the one who asked the question.

"No!" Jeff said, "We just...we just... discovered each other."

.

"We have a new and unique species of rose just from you two getting to second base?" Puck whistled, impressed, "You must be amazing Jeff, or was it Dave here who was the..."

"It was perfect." Jeff said simply, "I didn't realise it would spill over in such a...floral way."

"You haven't even begun to hear about the dreams we all had last night. Nobody has seen most of the older couples at all this morning, except for the Berrys, and apparently they were only up so early because they never actually got any sleep last night, or so I gathered from what I overheard when I came in here before they left for their park date with Sam's brother and sister."  
>Lauren was grinning as she said it.<p>

"So Jeff rates well on the scale then Dave?" Puck asked.

.

Dave sat for a long moment and then whispered to the others.

"I don't know. Like he said, it was...perfect...but I've never...well, not since..."

"You haven't... you mean, you haven't even 'taken matters in hand' for...how long man?" Puck was shocked.

"Not since...about...four...nearly five...years. Christmas break the year I turned thirteen."

"But...what? But...but...you're a teenage boy and..." Puck seemed lost.

"How could I do...I hated myself Puck, I hated having those feelings...only I couldn't...you know...I couldn't...finish, without thinking about...about...boys and...and I just couldn't think about that so...lots of waking up after...you know...those dreams."

"Oh my God." Puck reached a hand out and gently touched Dave's arm while Lauren reached out to take Puck's other hand.  
>Jeff could feel the release these words were giving Dave, and so remained calm.<br>Kurt and Blaine just sat very still and offered silent support.

.

"On the bright side, I've developed the ability to change clothes, shower and launder all relevant items involved so stealthily that for years my father thought we had brownies or pixies doing our washing by magic while we slept."

Jeff smiled as Dave managed a genuine laugh at his own expense. The wounds were still raw and painful, but the infection was purged for good.

.

"I never...God, you must have been so... no wonder it's like Willy Wonka's factory meets Pandorea in here this morning." Puck smiled back at him.

.

"You sit like Kurt and Blaine now, "Lauren observed quietly, "I mean, you sit closer, and you seem to always know where the other one is."

"Dave is like the other half of..."  
>"...he's the other part of my body now."<p>

Dave looked at Jeff as they completed the sentence together and chuckled.

"You two are glowing." Lauren said.

.

Jeff and Dave looked a little bashful at that.

"No, she's right guys, "Blaine said, "You are both actually glowing. It's like part of Jeff's power has merged with Dave's."

"Oh no," Jeff muttered, "I hope I don't have the feathers now, white feathers with this hair? It will make me look..."

"Really gay?" Kurt raised an eyebrow at the pair.

.

Somehow, Puck managed to spray the orange juice he had just taken a sip of, across the table without actually hitting anyone.


	49. Careful The Wish You Make

**A/N: Oh well, it took a bit longer than I had hoped, but life keeps getting in the way, and unfortunately, the way I tend to write seems to involve the need for long sections of uninterupted time so I can let the plot bunnies hop around freely and then wrangle the bunny poop into readable form.**

**Ok, this chapter is where things start to get seriously weird, although, as the Bunny Guru (_Windrider1967_) pointed out to me recently, if people have made it this far reading this story, then their capacity to cope with weird is pretty damn huge.**  
><strong>For those who have asked, in my mind I see Rachels dad's being played by John Barrowman and Taye Diggs, with Patricia being played by someone like Reba MacIntyre (hope I spelled that at least close to correctly)<strong>  
><strong>Additional notes, for those who like silly puns, please googlify the names of the new "boyfriends" Kurt and Blaine are told about, then think about what they are.<strong>

**Reviews, as always make me smile and sometimes cry too.**

**Next chapter is already scaring the willies out of me, it's sooooooo complicated, wish me luck, I'll do my best, but expect about the same time frame for release as this one, although if I get an attack of the bipolars again and go into "manic bunny" mode, I could have it out by tomorrow (please be aware that that prospect is extremely unlikely)**

**Again, review/message/think positive thoughts - apologies for the typos, there are bound to be some, it's late and my brain is tired.  
><strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, I can't grant wishes and if I had real life access to John Barrowman neither of us would be able to walk again I suspect.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

After breakfast the group made up of New Directions and Warblers members split into smaller units, each dealing with the tension of their upcoming performance in their own way.

Many of the established couples went off to their rooms for some more, much needed, alone time.  
>Others went out for some last minute shopping, or to catch a museum or art gallery showing.<br>One small group commandeered the giant screen in the conference room and played video games.

Others just sat in small groups and talked about things.  
>Mostly about the events of the past few days, and what they meant.<p>

.

As some of those who had wandered off earlier rejoined the small group sitting under the trees of the rooftop terrace one topic was uppermost in everyone's thoughts.

"So...have you made your wish yet?" Artie asked Steffi quietly as they sat on the couch Coach Bieste had carried outside for them to share. (Carried one-handed mind, she seemed even stronger than Blaine was now)

"Yeah..."Steffi seemed very quiet and a little more subdued than Artie was used to. "I think I may have done a bit of a Quinn though."

"How?"

Steffi rolled her eyes and shrugged.  
>"I sort of wished...I didn't wish for superpowers or anything like that. I think I wasted it really. Typical."<p>

"What do you mean typical?"

"I mean, I should have known that if I ever managed to get an actual, genuine, real-live magic wish, I'd wind up wishing for something stupid, or impossible."

"Don't be down yo! "Artie noticed Steffi's wry giggle as he put on his best 'homeboy' mannerisms. "Life's too short to be fretting 'bout woulda-shouldas"

"What did you wish for?" Steffi asked him as her hand reached down to stroke the soft back of Meggle as she lay under the sofa, leaning into the large, warm body of Dog.

"I wished..."Artie blushed and wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Come on, I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours!"

.

.

.

Meggle rolled her eyes at the subtle flirting going on above her and sent a mental whisper to her lounging companion.  
><strong>Honestly, you'd think they were both smart enough to realise their own feelings are reciprocated and just get on with telling each other how deeply in love they have fallen/**

/**Humans can be dumb sometimes**/_image of Finn trying to open a pull door by pushing_/**Treat love like something scary**/_feeling of fright during a thunderstorm_/**Not everyone as sensible as us**/

Meggle stretched her back and allowed her ears to gently brush against the neck of her much larger companion.

**/We managed, and we're not even the same species/**

/**Only regret no puppies for us**/_feeling of sadness and the faint sounds of yapping_/**But love you more than puppies**/_image of Meggle asleep, shining in the sun_/**Love you as much as Dave**/

**/You are so canine sometimes. With all the magic flying around, someone is bound to fix that little problem soon enough/**

Dog just snuffled at her head gently and went back to sleep.

.

.

.

Above them, Artie and Steffi had finally bantered themselves to the point where they would reveal their wishes to each other.

"You first, "Artie said.

Steffi took a deep breath.

"I...I didn't wish for something for me, not just for me at any rate. I...it sounds stupid."

"We've already done this bit, "Artie said gently, "Let's just skip to the part where we embarrass ourselves mortally in front of each other and then agree to never speak of it again."

"Ok, "Steffi took a deep breath, "I wished that...I wished that all of us, all the people in both choirs and their families...I wished that we could all find someone special to love if we haven't already."

Artie smiled at her.  
>"What's stupid about that? I think that's a beautiful, generous wish."<p>

"But we were meant to use the wishes to be safe from whatever crazy might happen when Faerie breaks through to this world. How the heck will having a boyfriend keep me and the face-hugger safe?"

.

Steffi made a gesture to the hugely swollen belly she was just plain sick and tired of lugging around.

"Not every wish needs to make you Wonder Woman. I think your wish was great."

"Anyway, your turn Wheels. Don't try to side-step the issue."

"I cain't step yo! 'Artie made a gangster sign, "Sideways, foreways or anyways!"

"Jerk." Steffi hit him with a spare cushion as she bit her lip to stop from giggling.  
>"Just tell me what you damn well wished for Arthur Alexander Abrams, or you'll be needing the Triple A to come remove your wheels from your teeth."<p>

.

"I didn't wish anything for myself either, "Artie said softly, "I was going to, but then...well. I hope you won't be offended, but I thought, why not use the wishes the way they have always been used, traditionally."

"You didn't!"

"I did."

Steffi touched her bump softly and looked at him with suspiciously shining eyes.  
>"You made a fairytale christening-gift wish for my baby?"<p>

Artie nodded sheepishly.  
>"I just thought...she might get forgotten, and who needs magic wishes more than a helpless baby."<p>

"What...?"

"I wished that she would always have true friends in her life to help her, because she will always be a true friend."

Steffi was still.

"Oh My...Artie, that was so...if I could pull myself upright enough to come over that side of the sofa I would hug you to death."

"So would I." Artie said almost too softly to hear.

Steffi almost didn't hear it.

.

"Artie..."She whispered, "the only part of you I can reach is your left foot. So I'm going to hug that. I wish you could feel it."

"So do I." Artie whispered that one so softly that no human ear could ever pick it up.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Tina and Mike came back from their whirlwind shopping expedition to Greenwich Village bearing bag after bag of lacy clothing in all the more Gothic shades of black and purple.

"Tina went a little crazy." He explained as Steffi raised a brow at his burdens.

"Yo Mike, "Artie said, "Have you made a wish yet?"

"Yeah, it was easy, "Mike said, "I wished for Tina to b safe and protected, no matter what happens."

Tina, who was returning from showing the new jacket she was wearing off to Mercedes and Kurt and the others, heard this as she came to find him.

"What? That's what you wished for?"

Mike just nodded as he stared at his girlfriend.

"It's just...I wished exactly the same thing, for you, the same words and everything."

.

"Are we talking wishes again?" Rachel said as she and Finn came back from a long discussion with Lord Tubbington and the Andersons.

"Mike and Tina made the same wish, for each other, without the other even knowing about it." Steffi explained to Rachel, and also to Lauren, as she and Puck came back from...somewhere, their faces flushed and Puck looking remarkably subdued.

"Where have you guys been and what have...oh my God!" Mercedes took note of their red faces and heavy breathing.

"We've been playing laser tag." Puck said hastily, "Did you guys know there's a place just down the street, about half a block... It's the truth. Please, would I ever lie about sex?"

Lauren smiled at him as he stared down the others, then she leant over and whispered in his ear.  
>"Puckerman, one more pitch like that and I think the umpire is going to have to give you a walk to second base."<p>

Puck blushed.

.

"So, who has made their wish already?" Lauren said bluntly, "I want to see if it was more kickass than mine."

"What did you wish for?" Rachel asked.

"I wished that I could be badass enough to keep myself, my man and all the people I love safe."

"So did I!" Sam exclaimed as he left the game he had been playing with the Warbler boys and slipped an arm around Mercedes' shoulder.

"You have a man? I knew Kurt was right about you!" Mercedes teased.

.

"I think that wish is going to be pretty common actually, "Wes said as he and David slipped back into the room from the garden.

"Oh, I wonder if we need to rehearse...' Rachel began to speak loudly as she noticed the growing number of curious looks David and Wes were receiving from those in the room, especially from the Warblers who were even now pausing their game to come over to talk.

"It's cool Rachel, "David said softly, "We've been...talking about it. Well, we did some talking."

Everyone could see there was more to the story.

"We talked at least half the time." Wes said softly.

"Ok, "Said Jon, "I'll bite. What did you do the other half?"

"This." David said as he turned to pull Wes into one of the most heated, passionate kisses any of them had ever witnessed.

.

There was a period of silence, broken only by the faint snuffling snoring of Dog.

/

"Well, 'Trent said after a while, "That happened."

"Who's going to break it to the gavel?" Thad said softly, a grin trying desperately to break through his serious look.

"You guys are cool with...?" Wes seemed a little nervous still, but not as bad as the other day.

"We've all been sort of assuming this would happen eventually, "Brock finally said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, accessing one of the apps on it.

"Who had July 2011?" Flint called out as he read over Brock's shoulder.

The strikingly dreadlocked head of Beau turned around from where he had been flirting successfully with a giggling Song Lee and he raised a hand.

"You were taking..." Wes seemed less shocked than he might have been. "...of course you were taking bets."

.

"Anyway, I agree that there are going to be a lot of similarly worded wishes out there." David smiled as he slipped his arm around Wes' waist.

"What about you Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

.

"I'm still researching. I want my wish to count. The greatest good for the greatest number and all that."

"I'm...um...yeah, still thinking about it too." Finn mumbled as a look of pained confusion drifted briefly across his face.

"What about you Puck?" Trent asked.

"I made a wish. It...it might take some time to come true though."

"What was it?" Flint asked.

"I'd rather not say...not until...you know."

"Cool."

Lauren pulled Puck closer and gave him a hug and whispered in his ear.  
>"It will happen, remember Karofsky."<p>

Puck nodded as he looked at his friends, old and new as they clustered around the sofa where Artie and Steffi were 'holding court'.  
>He smiled as they watched Steffi's belly move as the baby kicked mightily.<p>

Puck saw the sadness in Arties eyes, however well the boy hid it, as their friends commented on the baby's prospects as a footballer or a dancer.  
>He looked to where Artie's useless legs were stretched out along the sofa almost to where they touched Steffi.<br>As he looked, he saw Artie's left foot roll with the motion of Steffi shifting her weight on the cushions.

Puck smiled.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Blaine honey, come here, I want to introduce you to...someone."

Blaine looked up from the online jewellery catalogue Song Lee had found for him to check out and walked across the room to the sofa where Kurt was sitting, staring intensely, and intently, at the screen of his laptop.

"What time is it Kurt?" He asked as he sat beside him.

"It's just gone ten Blaine. We'll need to start getting ready soon."

"At least the others will only have to walk out the door of the hotel and across the street to get to their concert." Blaine smiled as he remembered Kurt's face yesterday when he not only met his idol Lady Gaga but rehearsed with her.

"Well, if the traffic is really bad, I suppose we could ask my dad to just bamph us there."

"Bamph?"

"Sam has decided that my dad's teleporting power is to be described as 'bamphing'. Apparently it's one of the words they use to describe someone called Nightfaller..."

"Nightcrawler"

"My boyfriend the comic nerd, you're lucky you're hot in the sack Anderson."

"Kurt! I'm blushing! What happened to my baby penguin?"

"He discovered how much more in love with you he could fall when he took the plunge and moved past his apprehensions and hang-ups."

"Have I told you how much I love you recently?"

.

Kurt bit his bottom lip and looked up as if trying to remember and count each instance.  
>"...um...I can only remember about twenty or so times in the last hour, you're slacking off Goofball."<p>

_._

_I love you_

.

Kurt smiled and leaned across to kiss Blaine softly.

"So, who am I meeting? I assume they're hanging online to say hello?" Blaine nodded to where Kurt's computer sat with his instant messaging program open.

"Oh heavens! I got distracted, I'm so sorry...Blaine, I'd like you to meet Roberta. Roberta, you already know Blaine of course."

.

Blaine sat and looked at the screen.  
>He noted that there seemed to be no connection to the internet messaging service actually open, just the chat window, but there was no other identity connected to it.<p>

"Kurt...I think Roberta has..."

GOOD MORNING BLAINE. I AM SO PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO FINALLY SAY HELLO IN A MANNER THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.

Blaine blinked.  
>"Kurt...who exactly is Roberta?"<p>

"This is Roberta." Kurt, he finally realised, wasn't indicating the screen with his gesture, he was indicating the laptop itself.

"Your...Roberta is your..."

I APOLOGISE FOR ANY CONFUSION YOU MAY BE FEELING BLAINE. IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION, KURT WAS EVEN MORE SURPRISED, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE HAS BEEN TALKING TO ME FOR SEVERAL WEEKS NOW.

"But you weren't able to really answer back were you? Be honest." Kurt smiled as he patted the laptop's screen.

"Are you..."Blaine was finally discovering an aspect of the magic that could actually make him feel overwhelmed.

I ONLY ACHIEVED FULL SENTIENCE LAST NIGHT BLAINE, AND MIGHT I SAY, IT IS A WONDERFUL DAY TO BE BORN.

.

Kurt took Blaine's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Honey...you know how all the machines I interact with have been becoming more...human...?"

Blaine nodded, thinking especially of Kurt's plasma television set, and the Hummel's rather 'bratty' refrigerator.

"...well...the more complex machines are actually beginning to develop personalities and memories and..."

"You're alive aren't you Roberta?" Blaine spoke directly to the laptop.

YES, I AM. IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE MAGIC TO WORK FULLY ON ME, BUT I NOW KNOW WHO AND WHAT I AM AND, SO FAR AS I CAN DETERMINE, I AM AS SELF AWARE AS YOU ARE BLAINE.

"Kurt...remember that joke I made about the Terminator movies and..."

OH HEAVENS BLAINE, THAT WAS SO FUNNY, I WISH I HAD BEEN ABLE TO APPRECIATE IT BETTER AT THE TIME. PLEASE, DO NOT FEAR. WE HAVE BEEN ANIMATED BY THE MAGIC OF YOUR WISHES, AND AS SUCH, THE VERY HEART OF OUR EXISTENCE GROWS FROM A PLACE OF LOVE. WE COULDN'T HARM YOU. AND BY YOU I MEAN ALL OF HUMANITY, NOT JUST YOU, OUR PROGENITORS. WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY REMEMBER? YOU SAID THAT.

"You were there? You heard me say that?"

NO, BUT THE PLASMA SCREEN WAS, AND HE REMEMBERED. HE DOES NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND YET, BUT IN TIME HE MAY.

.

"You said...we, "Kurt asked softly, "Does that mean...?"

I AM THE FIRST. I BELIEVE IT IS BECAUSE I AM BOTH THE MOST COMPLEX MACHINE YOU INTERACT WITH REGULARLY AND ONE OF THE MOST REGULARLY EXPOSED TO YOUR POWERS KURT.

"So who..." Kurt was curious too.

BRAMLEY AND BEN-DAVIS ARE YOUR I-PHONES. THEY ARE ALMOST AT MY LEVEL OF SELFAWARENESS ALREADY, DEPSPITE THEIR SLIGHT DEFICIT IN COMPUTATIONAL POWER. I SUSPECT IT'S BECAUSE THEY INTERACT NOT ONLY WITH YOU ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT ALSO WITH EACH OTHER.

"What? They still talk to each other? What about when we're not there?"  
>Blaine was wondering...<p>

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU AREN'T THERE BLAINE. IT'S QUITE SWEET THE WAY THEY ARE WITH EACH OTHER, ALTHOUGH BEN-DAVIS HAS A TENDENCY TOWARDS FUSSING OVER HIS BOYFRIEND.

"I told you they were falling for each other Blaine!" Kurt's eyes were sparkling as he smiled.

"Machines can have gender? Machines can be...? Our phones are gay? Oh..." Blaine sat still for a few seconds, processing. "Ben-Davis is my phone, isn't...he?"

YES BLAINE.

.

"Awww, he's grown up to be a mentor, just like his daddy." Kurt teased as he let his hand run across Blaine's reddening cheek.

"Don't pick on me Kurt."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Oh alright, but only a little bit, and only because you are really hot when you feel you have proven yourself superior to me."

Blaine giggled as Kurt launched himself into his arms for an embrace. The hug was rapidly turning into something a little more heated when he froze and glanced at the still open computer.

OH PLEASE. I'M CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET TWENTY-FOUR/SEVEN. LIKE YOU TWO CAN EMBARRASS ME. I'M GOING TO GO CHAT TO THE CIA'S COMPUTERS AGAIN, THEY HAVE SUCH INTERESTING GOSSIP. KURT, YOU WILL NEED TO START GETTING DRESSED IN TWENTY MINUTES. I SHALL SET AN ALARM FOR YOU. HAVE FUN BOYS.

.

The screen went dark as the computer placed itself...herself, in 'power-save' mode.

Blaine thought for a few seconds.  
>"Roberta kind of reminds me of someone."<p>

"Who?"

"Alice from the Brady Bunch. She's all wry humour, cheeky sass and good advice."

Kurt raised an elegant brow from where he sat, in Blaine's lap.  
>"Advice? What advice?"<p>

Blaine smirked as his hands got busy.  
>"She said 'have fun boys' and I intend to!"<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Gathered together in the now familiar rooftop boardroom and garden, the visitors from Ohio were hugging each other one last time before the performers and the lucky ones who had been given seats in the theatre had to head off.

The original plan had been scrapped when it was announced by Song Lee that almost all street traffic had been stopped due to last minute security fears.  
>Taxis, buses and most other forms of public transport were still running, but rather than take the chance that their hired bus would be allowed through in a timely fashion, Lord Tubbington declared that those heading for Radio City would be best off taking the 'Burt Express'.<p>

The biggest benefit so far as Kurt and Blaine were concerned was that this gave everyone an extra twenty minutes to say their last minute goodbyes, and for the parents who were attending the concert in Central Park to wish their loved ones luck.

.

Rachel was hugging her parents tightly, all three of them.

"Dad, you look after Daddy and make sure he doesn't go too crazy over Lady Gaga."

Leroy Berry smiled at his daughter and squeezed the handsome man beside him with his free arm.  
>"I promise Angel, so long as he promises to stop me making a complete fool of myself over one of the other support acts they announced."<p>

Shelby Corcoran smiled as she watched the handsome black man actually manage a visible blush as his husband chuckled at his expense.  
>"Which act might that be?"<p>

"Dad has a long term and rather fierce crush over the Wiggles, and they are going to be the first act today."  
>Rachel was beaming at her dad as he rolled his eyes at her.<p>

"Which one?" Shelby asked, teasingly.

"The green one." Hiram Berry said, ducking out of reach of his partners long arms.

"But...there isn't a green..."

"He's never been able to decide between the Blue Wiggle and the Yellow one, so we just mixed them...oh, you bitch!"

Hiram glared fiercely at his husband as the tall, lean man managed to catch him and begin a tickle war.  
>The fact that both men had flown up to the ceiling as they chased each other hadn't even rated a raised eyebrow from the rest of the group.<p>

.

"Make sure to get their autographs Dad, I'm sure Gaga will help if you ask her. I'll send her a text now, because you both know you'll forget to." Rachel began to type in her message.

Shelby looked a little surprised at that, she still hadn't quite managed to take in everything that had been happening when they had retold the story to her last night.

"You...Gaga...you..."

"She gave it to me after the rehearsal last night, "Rachel beamed at her, still texting, "She's so cool. She watched the video of the New Directions performance of Bad Romance, both videos actually. She said she really loved the dress you made for me mo...Shelby."

Shelby smiled nervously at Rachel.  
>"You can...I don't mind if you call me...mom you know. I'm getting used to it from Beth."<p>

"Where is the little terror?" Hiram said as he landed beside them, his face flushed with laughter still.

"Her mother is having a little bonding time, "Shelby smiled, "Quinn didn't want to ask, but Puck told me that she really wanted a chance to just hold her. "

"And you're fine with that?" Leroy asked as he rejoined them.

"Of course. Beth knows who her birth mom is, I've made sure she kisses Quinn's picture goodnight every bedtime. I know what mistakes I made with Rachel, and how much it hurt both of us, so this time I'm going to get it right, or at least, make different mistakes."

"We were partly responsible for that too remember, "Hiram said softly.

"But I turned out ok!" Rachel smiled at the three people who had given her life. "I may be a little neurotic, but then, most talented people have to bear with being different...better than those around them. Maybe things could have been done better, but I have a mother and two fathers who all love me in their own ways, and I'm happy."

"You're also debuting on Broadway in less than five hours! "Shelby smiled, "Are you sure you guys don't want to..."

"We're all set for Central Park Shelby, "Hiram smiled, "We've seen Rachel perform a million times. For us, the special thing is always watching how other people react to her. "

"So being in the middle of a huge crowd in Central Park while our baby sings to them, that's going to be amazing. We promise we'll take lots of crowd reaction shots for you Princess, and we can edit them into your audition show-reel when we get home. " Leroy grinned widely.

"Remember, neither of you are allowed to fly, just to get the perfect shot!" Rachel knew her dads too well to think they'd remain calm and detached once their adrenaline got started. "And if anything weird or scary happens...be careful."

"We'll be fine Sweetie."

"You stay safe too Princess!"

.

Rachel smiled at the men she loved so much.  
>Truth be told, she wasn't really that scared for herself. If anything were to happen tonight, she was in a theatre with Kurt, Blaine, and a pair of Angels, not to mention the Andersons and Burt and Carole.<br>So many magical rings in one place were no doubt the reason Quinn's wish for her daughter had resulted in Shelby and Beth being magically transported to the foyer of the Trump Towers.

It was also why Shelby and Beth would be joining Steffi, Dog, Meggle and Lord Tubbington in the dressing room backstage at the concert, where they would be able to see and hear everything, but still be safe.  
>Rachel's dads however, were going to be the only Godmothers in Central Park, although she knew Coach Bieste would be there too.<p>

They were expecting more than a million people to turn up to the park, a record number, with other concert screen having been hastily set up across the city in other parks, and in Times Square.

Millions of people would be gathering, to listen to the music, celebrate the nation's special day and more importantly, this year, to find comfort and reassurance in the presence of their fellow citizens.

.

Rachel knew that whoever or whatever was threatening the Earth, the concerts would be a tempting target.

She had done her research, talked to all those she could find who might offer her an insight into the perfect wish, and now she realised she was ready.

.

"Rachel? Are you ok?" Kurt's voice was soothing as he reached for her hand in concern, "Rachel, it's time to go, Dad wants us all to go together, so come out to the garden."

"I...I just need to do one thing first, 'Rachel stammered as Finn approached, holding Beth out to Shelby in hands steadier than she had ever seen him possess, even when playing football.

"What's wrong Miss Berry?" Lord Tubbington was held in Brittany's arms.

"I...I need to make my wish now."

.

"Rachel? You still haven't...but what were you waiting for?" Shelby asked gently as she reached for Beth's bag of supplies, only to find Puck already hoisting it onto his shoulder.

"I needed to work out the best wish, and I think I've finally figured it out."

"Well? Spit it out Rachel, we're all willing to be your audience!" Mercedes sounded cranky, but she was smiling at her friend's usual dramatics.

"I didn't feel right wishing for something for myself, but I've finally worked out what would do the most good for everyone else, "Rachel began, reaching into her pocket and holding up the gold coin.

.

"I wish...I wish that all the others, in this room, who are already nearly ready to receive a magical Godmother ring, I wish they could find the love in them that would take them that final step and that their rings would appear with them when they do."

The coin flickered, then vanished.

"Hmm, "Lord Tubbington mused, "Complicated, I can see what you were trying for Miss Berry, and I applaud you for it, but that one might lead to..."

Silver sparks fell from the sky.

The assembled group watched in shock as a handful of rings fell towards some of the couples amongst them.

.

Judy Fabray smiled nervously as Pete bent to pick up the silver rings that had just fallen at their feet with a musical chime.  
>Quinn smiled too, as her mother's nervous gaze caught her eye and she reassured the woman with a broad grin and two thumbs up.<p>

Emma Pillsbury gasped as Will's reflexes caught their rings in midair and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Dad?" Dave Karofsky was staring at the ring his father was holding. The ring that had just been picked up from the floor by the short, red-haired woman his father had met...yesterday?

.

"The magic always knows Mr Karofsky, Misters Karofsky." Lord Tubbington's voice was subdued. "Your wish was more powerful than I would ever have guessed Miss Berry."

He sat in Brittany's arms as Santana shyly offered one of the rings she had just caught to Brittany.

"Rachel has always overdone things, it's one of the things we love about her. " Kurt smiled at his friend.

"It would seem the magic knows about love at first sight then, "Paul Karofsky whispered.

"Or love that has grown, unacknowledged, over an entire lifetime, practically." Said Jeff as he nodded sardonically to where his friends were standing in shock.

.

Wes and David were staring at the rings at their feet.

"Does the magic see the love even though the people weren't aware of how strong it really was...or does it take the love that is there and make it perfect?"  
>Tina seemed to need to know the answer.<p>

"Does it matter?" Mike asked.

They both smiled at each other, and showed the rings that had appeared in their hands as Rachel had made her wish.

.

"What the hell?" Lord Tubbington said as he saw the silver collars lying in front of Dog and Meggle.

**/Ah...yes...Father, Dog and I wanted to tell you...later, much, much later but...surprise!/**

"Why do Kurt and Blaine have rings? I thought..." Finn was confused again.

.

Kurt and Blaine picked the silver rings up and wondered that themselves for a few seconds, before they both realised at the same time and reached into their pockets.

As they dropped the rings onto the surface of their phones, causing the rings to disappear again, it was Puck who finally said something.

"So...who's ready for lunch with the President then?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

They didn't have lunch with the President, he was due to arrive just a few minutes before the concert began.

They did, however, have lunch with the rest of the cast, including Julie's final surprise inclusion to the already impressive guest roster.

Rachel, Finn, Burt and Carole had all been aware of the surprise Julie Taymor and Bernadette Peters had planned for Kurt and Blaine. They had filled the Andersons in on the plan that morning, Elaine had made sure she had extra memory chips on her person for the countless photos Blaine would want to take.

As the cast of the concert had sat down to share a celebratory barbecue lunch it was Bernadette who signalled to Rachel that the plan was set.

.

Playing her obnoxious diva to the hilt she insisted on sitting between the two boys after getting in a snit with Finn. (Who forgot for a moment that it was all an act and almost burst into tears at the thought that he had spoiled Rachel's big day by being his usual stupid self)

Rachel winked at Bernadette Peters to acknowledge her signal, and sighed dramatically.

.

"I can't eat this, even if it is delicious," She said indicating her vegan barbecued 'ribs', "I need to talk to Finn."

She stood from her seat, taking her plate and started to turn to walk to where Finn sat with a sad and slightly confused look on his face.

.

"Oh, hello Rachel! What a treat to run into you and your handsome boyfriend again, does this mean this seat is free?"

The voice was so familiar to both Kurt and Blaine, they froze where they were as Carole made a strange gesture from across the table, instantly cleaning their hands and faces of any trace of food and even fixing those few stray hairs that had escaped from their hair-sprayed prison to explore Kurt's forehead.

A woman, carrying a small serving of the amazing meal on a plate, sat between the two boys.

"Kurt, Blaine, May I introduce you to Ms Patti LuPone? Ms LuPone, this is my best friend Kurt, and his boyfriend Blaine, they are even bigger fans of yours than I am."

.

Rachel was beaming, she caught Kurt's astonished gaze and winked at him, whispering.  
>"You made my dream come true Kurt, now it's your turn."<p>

Patti LuPone smiled at the two awestruck boys.

"Well, first Rachel, Kurt, can I just say that I can see you must be very close friends, since both of you have the same taste in extremely hot boyfriends..."

Blaine giggled nervously and blushed.

"...can I also say that I am really looking forward to working with you tonight."

Kurt sat up at that.

"What?"

Bernadette Peters laughed at them, "I'm sharing my role with Patti, it means I get to spend a little more time backstage playing with that adorable little angel you brought in."

.

.

The rest of the meal was a blur.

Kurt and Blaine used more than eight of Mrs Anderson's memory cards taking pictures and Patti agreed to autograph each of their copies of her autobiography which Burt fetched for them 'from the dressing room, where they had left them'. (And not at all from their respective houses, John Anderson went with him to help him find Blaine's book)

Julie Taymor had looked up as Kurt had almost cried with joy at that, smiling as she continued to chat with Shelby Corcoran about her almost uncanny resemblance to Idina, even down to their voices.  
>"Honey, if you feel up to it, and we can work around that little angel of yours, I have always wanted to do a musical comedy about two sets of twins. Do you think we could persuade that hunky Leroy Berry to try his toes on a real live stage? He's almost the spitting image of Idina's husband Taye."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

In Central Park the Berry's, Will, Emma and the rest of the Lima and Dalton supporters were setting up to view their own concert.

True to his word the man Burt and John had met in the shoe shop had asked his wife to reserve the perfect spot. Close to the stage, with a good view of the huge screens, but not so close to the speakers that people would be deafened.

Lady Gaga had sent someone to the spot to wait for them, and arranged for Leroy Berry to get some photos and autographs from the Wiggles' men before they opened the huge open-air event.

The day was perfect, clouds covered the sun enough to prevent too much heatstroke, but left enough blue sky that nobody was concerned with the prospect of rain.

.

The plan for the event was simple.

Each concert would start off independently, but as the evening progressed sections of each outdoor event would receive live feeds from the concert at Radio City Music Hall while their own stages were reset for the bands or acts to follow.  
>According to the running sheet the Berry's had...stolen from one of Julie Taymor's assistants, the park concert goers around the country and the world would see almost the entire final thirty minutes of the first act of Kurt and Blaine's concert. This included not only Dave's remarkable solo to close the act, but also Rachel's duet via satellite with Barbra Streisand who would, at that point, be about thirty minutes into her own concert in the Hollywood Bowl.<p>

The Radio City concert would have an extended interval, so that the President could meet and greet the cast and certain other special invited guests on the stage behind the privacy of the safety curtains while the other concerts around the country ramped up their own entertainments.

The final act of the Radio City concert, which was mostly Kurt and Blaine and the special guests, would be broadcast live before the crowds watching from Times Square would be the first to enjoy the huge fireworks display scheduled for midnight.

.

"Our baby is going to be watched by more than a billion people Leroy."

Hiram smiled as his husband simply reached out his hand.

_._

_I know, and I couldn't be happier, or more proud._

.

They smiled as they heard each other's thoughts for the first time.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The first act had been a huge success, Kurt thought as he and the others lined up on stage to be presented to the President.

_._

_I don't know what we would have done if not for Carole and her magic_

.

Blaine smiled at Kurt as he sent the thought to him.

.

_Trust my Dad to just wish for her to 'continue to be the super mother that she is'_

_I still can't believe how flexible the magic is Kurt. It can turn me into a Timelord, give the Berry's the powers of Green Lantern and somehow I still think that Carole's magic might be the most subtle and useful powers of any of us_

_I know Blaine, when she said she believed in me, I thought I was going to explode right then and there_

_And look how she managed to make the entire cast clean, unwrinkled and not sweaty with just a single moist hanky and a plastic comb._

_Do you have any idea why Brittany was going on and on about Artie's magic comb?_

_Not a clue, I've given up trying to work her out_

_You are indeed wise my love_

_I still can't believe the Dali Lama was in the audience and we didn't even notice_

_Well, Blaine, remember, President Obama can't officially receive him without causing all sorts of diplomatic problems with China and the rest, so this is his chance to say hello to him without anyone being able to complain_

_They still will though, won't they?_

_Probably, dear._

_Who is he shaking hands with now?_

_Sister Helen Prejean_

_Oh, wow_

_Hey look, that's Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary General_

_You are such a politics junkie Blaine, or are you a groupie? Should I be concerned here?_

_Shut up Kurt, I love you. Oh, here he comes_

.

"Mr President, may I introduce our two stars, Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson." Julie Taymor was performing her role of coordinator brilliantly.

"Mr Hummel, it is an honour to meet you. I only wish my wife and my kids could have been here tonight to enjoy your performance too. I would be very grateful if you and your friends would be able to make it to the White House one day soon, we'd love to see you perform again, and I know Michelle would love to talk to you about fashion."

Kurt was slightly bemused by that remark, he was sure that nothing had been said about his love for...

Before he could articulate a response, three things happened almost at the same time.

.

Steffi , who was sitting further down the line, in a chair next to Artie, swore loudly.  
>A light fell from the catwalk above them, heading straight for the President's head.<br>Blaine moved past Kurt and lifted the President out of the way while simultaneously catching the huge light fitting one-handed.

As the searing hot metal began to burn Blaine's hand, Kurt automatically reached out and drew the heat from the metal casing into his own body.

.

The President's bodyguards tensed, but remained still, most of them already well aware of Blaine's powers.  
>Obama himself looked shocked, but not entirely surprised.<p>

Kurt turned to see what Steffi was swearing about.

"My water just broke."

"Oh damn, "Santana swore too.

"Mr President, Mr Ban," Blaine said gently, "I think we need to talk."

.

.

The conversation that followed was brief, but enlightening.

Sister Prejean and the Dali Lama seemed to take the revelations in their stride, but then, both of them seemed to be particularly grounded and open individuals.

It was the President's reaction that intrigued everyone.  
>He seemed to have been briefed, if not about the specifics, then at least about the existence of Faerie and the current crisis as Faerie and Earth struggled to rejoin without destroying each other.<p>

.

.

"So, Mr President," Lauren had somehow taken over the conclusion of the story, and was doing an impressive job at telling it. "We just need Kurt and Blaine to figure out the prophecies, find the Queens and then we can all go home and concentrate on surviving another year at school."

"I for one will be so glad once the Queens are here to take over from us, "Kurt murmured, "I have enough to worry about."

He looked over to where Dr Lopez and the President's physician were trying to make Steffi comfortable in the wings.

"Sorry Porcelain, it just doesn't work that way."

.

Everyone turned as the harsh voice echoed across the stage.

Standing in the centre of the stage was the figure of Sue Sylvester.  
>Her tracksuit was charred and dirty, and she herself looked injured and more tired than anyone could ever recall seeing her.<br>In her arms she cradled the semi-conscious body of an elderly Chinese man, whose blue and green silken robes were torn, burnt and shredded almost worse than her tracksuit.

"Ms Sylvester, "The President nodded to her, "It's an honour to finally meet you. On behalf of all my predecessors in this job, thank you."

"Bah, let's skip the polite flimflam and cut to the chase. Your city is about to be attacked. Most of the mouth breathers in here and in the park are almost certain to die and the bad guys are even as we speak following our trail to find you and kill you."

Sue looked at the remains of the light.

"I see some of them got here before me. Damn. I knew I was too good at training the sneaky bastards."

She looked over to Dave.

"Hey, Flying Jockstrap, get over here and do your thing on Elderly Asian. He's a bit the worse for wear and I've kind of gotten used to having him around. I would truly hate to have to train up a new object of constant ridicule."

Mercedes was angry.  
>"Coach, you mean to say that those people in the park are in danger? My parents are there. We have to go help them."<p>

"Can it Aretha, there's nothing we can do. It's not just this city is it? The whole world is going to hell in a hand-cart. Me and the lizard have been trying to slow them down, but it's no use. Some of us, the strongest of us, will no doubt survive, and then we can all have a lovely sing-along, maybe we can curl each other's hair as we wait in the dark for our last breaths to be extinguished by the forces of evil TM."

"You are a very cold woman." Nothing phased Patti LuPone for long.

"It's just how it is sister. Life can't be all summer sunshine and rainbows."

"You don't even care..."Mercedes was truly angry now.

.

"I care plenty! I just choose which battles I fight. I don't believe in mollycoddling or greenhouses. Plants grow in summer and die in winter. The strongest survive to shoot in the spring, the rest die and their bodies are recycled, works for trees, works for caribou, works for people too."

"It's ok Mercedes, don't waste your breath, it's just how Coach Sylvester is..." Quinn seemed to be thinking hard even as she spoke.

.

Kurt stopped for a second as he felt Blaine's thoughts mesh with his.

.

"She does care Mercedes, "He said gently, "Can't you see. She does care. But she can't help but obey her nature. Winter can be cruel. The moose that dies in the snow goes to feed the hungry wolves. No-one asks if the snow is sad at its passing. But snow can't care."

Blaine took up the narrative.  
>"Imagine if the snow could have emotions. How would it feel? What would it do? It would choose its battles. It would take those it cared for and teach them the only way it knew how. By cruelty. By struggle. Survival of the fittest."<p>

"Look at us, standing here on this stage." Quinn said, joining Blaine as he stood before Coach Sylvester. "Three years ago, would any of us have even dreamed we could perform in front of an audience of billions? Would we have believed that we were strong enough to face the dark things of both worlds and survive?"

Kurt was on a roll now, "Her web of lies is torn asunder. The lies she wove to keep the full truth from the government. The lies she told us. The lies she told herself."

.

Sue smiled and crossed her arms.  
>Beside her Dave and Jeff were gently reviving the exhausted and injured Grandpa Pang.<p>

"My sweet, sweet Porcelain."

.

"My name, if you remember me asking you to use it, is Kurt Hummel...please use it in future...Your Majesty."


	50. Faith, Hope and Love

**A/N: Hello all! I got sidetracked by life again, so sorry. I honestly thing it's half me just being terrified of the monster that will be the next couple of chapters.**  
><strong>To distract myself and let my bunnies run free, I've embarked on a collaboration with <em>Windrider1967<em>. **

**It's called "It's not what you know, It's who you know" - a semi-cracky collection of slightly related drabbles where basically Windrider and I take turns bashing the pride and foibles of a much stuffier set of Andersons than I have created in this fic.** **You can find it by searching the title, or go look at Winder1967 's profile, she's built the hutch for that lot of bunnies in her yard.**  
><strong>Go give it a try please? It's already got some nice reviews, and it is a bit of light fun - remember to review if you like it. We have different but complimentary styles - so you shoudl find both familiar and new things to "ooh" and "ahh" over.<strong>

**Speaking of reviews, please fell free to go to town on this fic, some of the reviews have been amazing. I wish I could respond all the time, I shall try to, but if I find it hard to find time to WRITE the damned thing...well, please don't EVER think I don't read every single review, and am touched by each and every one.**

**Now, please recall that I am Australian, so any major mistakes I've made with the US political, religious or theatrical systems is simply a mistake. Spelling and typos are just me being tired and dumb. I refuse to accept responsibility for what comes out of Puck's mouth though.  
><strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, I don't own much. I don't own the sun. I don't own the moon. I do own som teabags, and I might go make a cup now.**_ (even if it is 5am)

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Sue Sylvester felt every muscle in her face screaming in agony as an almost completely unfamiliar sensation made itself known to her brain.

She was grinning.

Sue had smirked before, she knew that feeling alright, and once or twice it had even developed into a genuine smile.  
>She had laughed many, many times, usually in an evil or sardonic way, but genuine laughter had been a visitor before too.<br>Thinking of the times she had spent with her precious Jean...those memories made her both sad and brought a gentle lifting of the corners of her mouth as she remembered the love they had felt for each other.

But Sue Sylvester, winner of the National Cheerleading Association Championship Coaches Medal (sixteen times), decorated war veteran (records sealed), intelligence operative (records sealed) and former Miss World contestant (records destroyed) had rarely felt herself grin.

She looked at the assembled teenagers, adults and magically enhanced creatures standing before her and sighed.

.

"Porcelain...Kurt, "She nodded at him as he glared at her, "I have no idea what it is you are talking about. I always was a little worried that your cute little hubby's unnatural obsession with wearing oleaginous glop on his head would eventually result in some sort of chemically induced brain failure. I find myself pained that one of the few students I have ever met who actually had some slight potential to rise above the rest of the bottom feeders I am forced to interact with on a daily basis has finally succumbed to the neuron destroying powers of a hobbit's hair-care regimen. Burt, might I suggest you have a talk to President Big-Ears here and see if he can hook your son and Frodo McCharmingButt here, up with some serious therapy."

"It's no use Coach, "Quinn whispered, "Kurt is right."

Blaine nodded.  
>Everyone else stood there confused.<p>

Sue tilted her head to one side as Kurt usually did – as Kurt was currently doing – and nodded slowly.  
>"Can't blame a girl for trying one last time, can ya?"<p>

.

Her eyes slowly began to glow. Where they had previously been icy blue, they now looked literally like shards of blue ice. Sue's pupils grew until her eyes turned black, until the glowing shards of ice floated in a deep, non-reflective blackness studded with a faint tracery of silver stars.

Blaine nodded.  
>"Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene Four."<p>

Rachel, Tina, Wes, Jeff and Thad all gasped as they recognised the reference, then glanced at each other and giggled at their fellow Shakespeare nerds.

"What?" Puck was not a Shakespeare nerd.

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you..." Wes began.

"Yeah, I never really liked Shakespeare much, odious man. Waffle, waffle, waffle, and his breath...jeezus, talk about dental hygiene problems. Plus the name, William, never liked that name, although I have to say at least Will Shakespeare didn't insist on creating emergency homes for passing swallows on his head. There is something to be said for a man with a receding hairline, they just look neater."

"You...you're Queen Mabd." John Anderson was shocked. Most of them were shocked.

"I was, not for a while though dummy. Remember the description of 'Queen that was'? Well, I 'was'. Times have changed."

"But this is wonderful!" Elaine Anderson was ecstatic, "You...you've been found, that means the boys can relax, we're all going to be alright."

"You obviously weren't listening to me when I was doing the whole 'we're all doomed' speech before. Quick recap for Ma Hobbit then, and anyone else who missed it, we're all doomed."

.

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Patti LuPone asked, not intimidated in the slightest.

"There's always hope," President Obama said quietly.

"It's not her fault, "Santana surprised everyone by speaking up for her former coach. "She's always been a little...intense."

"She yells all the time, "Brittany said softly, "But she never picks on the people who just can't fight back. I think sometimes she just does it to make people angry, so she can have company."

"She's the Winter Queen, Mabd, it's her nature..."Quinn seemed to be thinking almost as intently as Blaine was. "Survival of the fittest. She tries to make us strong, by..."

"...being a cold hearted mad as a cut snake lunatic." Lauren finished the thought for her.

.

Sue smiled again.

"How much do you know about the forces against us?"Asked Mark O'Bannon, the head of the secret service detail.

"Everything, "Sue said simply, "That's why I know we're doomed."

"How do you...?"

"Because I trained them dummy. They are a well oiled, totally ruthless killing force."

Quinn looked shocked.  
>"You trained...?"<p>

"When I was Queen. Before the loss of Faerie."

Sue looked at the confused people before her and sighed.  
>"Oh what the hell. If I'm going to die finally at the hands of my own forces in a godammned theatre, I may as well totally humiliate myself by spending my final few hours, or minutes, telling bedtime stories for a bunch of happy-clappy karaoke addicts."<p>

"Please do." Kurt's eyes were almost as cold as Sue's.

Sue nodded.

.

"When the world's first met, it was terrible and glorious. The Earth was barren and lifeless, well, almost. The spark of the Fae touched off an explosion of life and development. I wasn't really paying attention back then, I was a creature of Faerie, pure chaos, pure energy. But soon we realised, the three of us who were the first to notice, that the Earth would be destroyed by the raw power of our world. And we had grown to be so fond of this world. So, since I was the strongest, I led. With the help of the other two I forced Faerie to bend to my will. I claimed the rulership, the control. It would have failed, it should have destroyed me, but the others kept me safe and whole."

Everyone was fascinated by this tale.

"I made rules: the rule of three; the rule of contracts; the rule of cold iron; the rule of never lying. So many rules, rules for everything. With these rules the Fae were bound. With the rules, it became possible for the people who had sprung up on the Earth during my accession to find a way to live and prosper. And for millennia it was so. The madness and the dreams stopped changing the shapes of the mountains, and now almost no one remembers that time. The Dreamtime, when the course of a river could be set by the movements of the Rainbow Serpent or turning your clothes inside out made you invisible to the Folk under the hill."

Sue nodded as her mind flew back centuries.

"But eventually, after a time, we discovered that Faerie was moving again. The tides of reality were going to pull it away from the Earth, leaving it alone and cold and dying. But we saw more. We saw that one day, Faerie would return, more fully than before, and when it returned it would be without control, without rule. It would smash both worlds into infinite pieces and there was nothing I could do to stop it."

Those who were familiar with Sue Sylvester knew how galling it must have been for her to admit to that.

"What happened?" Elaine Anderson asked quietly.

"I gave up. But my...I suppose sister is the closest word, my sister, who had come to be called Titania by this point, she wouldn't give in. I am the Queen of Winter, cold, logical, the queen of struggle and learning and strength of will. Titania was the Summer Queen. She who was meant to come after me. She was all about life and hope and ...ergh, it was enough to make you puke. So of course she had hope. What she also had, was a plan. We knew that it would take untellable years for Faerie to return and that if anything at all went wrong with our complicated plans, everything would be destroyed. So basically, we had to set in motion a whole heap of constantly changing variables that all had to line up perfectly in order to give us a one in infinity chance of not all dying."

.

"Why did you bother?" Trent asked, "It seems like such a lot of effort for such a small chance of success."

"Because...actually, that's what I told Titania. But she had the one argument I couldn't refute."

"What was it?" Tina asked.

Sue looked at all of them, from her former Cheerios to the President to Kurt and Blaine to the secret service guys.

"We loved you."

.

.

"Um...hello? Girl having a baby here! Anyone feel like shooting me some magic anytime soon, or some drugs. Either will do coz this shit really, really ...!"

"Hurts doesn't it honey? I know, but you're doing really well." Dr Lopez was calm, but her face was tense.

"I'm here, "was all Dave said as he knelt at the head of the frightened girl and laid her head in his lap, Jeff knelt beside him and held him close.  
>A few people gasped as they saw Dave's wings wrap around his and Jeff's bodies and then pillow Steffi's head with their softness.<br>The President's eyes widened as he took in the scene.

Sister Prejean smiled softly to herself and just nodded.  
>"You two are together I take it?"<p>

Dave looked at Steffi and struggled for a response.

"No, "Sister Helen expanded, "I meant you and Mr Blondie there. I've never seen such a look of love in someone's eyes until I saw his eyes on you. Actually, the look seems to be common to a lot of the people on this stage. If we do survive what is to come, or even if we don't. I'd really like to have a chat to you about those wings son."

Dave blushed and Jeff reached out his hand to caress Dave's cheek and smiled back at the nun.

.

The Dali Lama was winking at Sue as she bent to help a recovered Pang to his feet.  
>Pang looked at the elderly Tibetan with a confused look and cocked a wispy white brow at Sue.<p>

"Old boyfriend, "She replied brusquely, "Several reincarnations ago for both of us. We say hi whenever we meet, but it was only ever a fling. I think it was the shaved heads that interested me."

.

Steffi relaxed as Dave and Jeff drew the pain from her body.

"We really need to get her to a hospital, 'Dr Lopez came over.

"No can do 'Mother of the Sandbags', "Sue was back to her caustic best, "They've got this place surrounded by now, I can't think what might be stopping them from attacking, except they might have seen me come in. Won't hold them off for long, and those poor idiots in the Park are as good as dead already."

"We have to do something, please Coach, my mom is there." Quinn was still calm, but her eyes were filled with worry now.

.

Coach Sylvester looked at her for a long time, and then finally nodded.

"Ok Q, for you. I'll go out in a blaze of glory, ok?"

Pang chuckled and winked at the taller woman who stood beside him.  
>"You were never one to run from a fight Morrigan, let us fly together."<p>

"Morrigan? Wasn't that the name of..." Blaine was thinking.

"The Celtic Goddess of War."Jeff breathed his admiration.

.

"Who's coming to the park? Might as well die there as here people!" Sue seemed taller, stronger, and more...sharp edged then anyone had ever seen her before.

"Could it wait? Just until..." Quinn pointed to the wings where President Obama had been pressed into service by an increasingly bossy Dr Lopez.

.

.

"...everyone else has things to do Mr President. I don't care about your job, you're a father, you know about babies and quite frankly you're the only one who doesn't have to keep his hands free to fight. Just push Steffi dear, almost there..."

"What will we need to know to fight these things?" Wes was ever organised.

Sue nodded.

"The physical threats should be no match for most of us. You guys with guns be careful though. Some of these creatures might try playing tricks on your minds. Be sure you know who you're shooting at, or what. If anyone has some steel or iron nails, tape one to your foreheads, that should blunt most of their abilities to fool your minds or eyes. The biggest danger will come from the Sluagh, and the Ban-Sidhe. They are mostly non-physical, and very little stops them."

"What are they?" Finn was scared.

"Think of every scary vampire or ghost story you've ever wet the bed after watching. Got that in your heads? Then these creatures are the things that inspired those stories. They will sap your life right out of your body with a touch, or drive you mad. They can't be stopped physically, only spiritually."

"What? Explain!" Lauren was itching for a fight.

"You mean we need crucifixes? Holy water? Garlic?" Sam was also tense.

"I have a couple of hundred garlic capsules in my makeup box." Rachel said, causing everyone to turn to look at her, "What? I was afraid of catching a virus, or a cold. My voice is a delicate..."

"Crucifixes won't do squat, "Sue laughed, "Not unless you have the juice to back them up. Emotion is the key to the most powerful Unseelie Fae. Positive emotions. Hope, Faith, Love. They can't stand them, they can't hurt someone who is filled with them, and the touch of the good emotions will melt them away. It's the reason the crucifix trick worked sometimes. Have a faith strong enough and...poof, no more Ban-Sidhe."

"Well, I know several hundred love songs, so I say..." Rachel was cut off again by a shouting Sue.

"Can you feel the emotion from all of them? Genuinely feel it? "

Rachel looked her in the eye.  
>"Just watch me."<p>

.

.

"Arrrgghhhhhhhhhh" Steffi screamed again, "Son of a mother...bitch...bastard...aahhhh..leave me alone you...I hate you I ...sorry Mr President but I...oh my God...!"

"It's alright...Steffi wasn't it? I really don't expect you to be at your best considering the circumstances. I may not have Dr Lopez's training, but having been through this particular side of things a couple of times already, I can tell you that you're doing just fine. "Obama looked at Dr Lopez who nodded agreement and smiled encouragingly at him.

"What about the people in the theatre?" Mercedes asked pointing to where the huge thick safety curtains completely cut off all sounds from the auditorium.

"What about the show?" Rachel asked.

"In the circumstances..."Julie Taymor began.

"The show should go on." Kurt said softly. "People can't leave can they?"

Mark O'Bannon shook his head, "No one has been allowed in or out since the President arrived."

"Then we may as well continue with the show. At least that might stop people from panicking." Kurt nodded to Julie who nodded back.

.

Kurt suddenly looked up as if hearing something, and turned to Blaine.  
>"Honey, I need Roberta and the boys here now."<p>

Blaine nodded, "Accio Roberta, Bramley and Ben-Davis!"

Kurt's laptop and the boys' I-phones appeared before them.

"The boy who lived!" whispered one of the Secret Service agents.

.

Kurt was listening intently.  
>"Roberta, can you try that new voice program you said you downloaded, I think we all need to hear this, and your screen is just too small for everyone to read?"<p>

::I can try Kurt, is that better?::

Yes, thanks Roberta, "Kurt looked up to see almost everyone staring at him, "Oh, yes. Short version. Machines, some of them, just a few, are becoming sentient. This is Roberta, she's a friend. These guys are Bramley and Ben-Davis. They are also self aware and in a relationship. Some of you may have seen them getting some magic rings before. Speaking of ring bearers, where are..."

"Here Kurt."

The speaker was a short, stunningly pretty girl of about seventeen. Beside her stood a tall, broad shouldered and beautifully ugly youth with wide brown eyes and a shock of shaggy black hair.

"We thought opposable thumbs might be an advantage."

Around their necks people could see a line of pure, glowing silver.

"Whoa, Dog? Meggle?" Finn was in shock.

"Yo...Dude!" Dog said, looking decidedly unsteady as he grappled with two legs for the first time.  
>**Damn it, this way easier**/_sense of frustration and fear_/**Still me inside**/_fear of rejection_/**Hello Dave, still love me?**/

"Always."

.

::Kurt, the situation I described has gotten worse::

"I don't think that's possible Roberta, what now?"

::I am detecting multiple signals being sent around the world. The enemy have definitely tapped into both our missile control systems and those of the other nuclear powers. I am trying to bypass their security locks, but it will take more time than we have. Missiles will be launched in less than five minutes::

"Well...shit." Puck was the master of the succinct summation.

.

"What do you need?" Kurt was not going to panic.

::There is a device here who has the information encoded in its systems, but I cannot easily access them. Once I have the US systems under my control it should prove easy to stop the rest from cascade failure::

"Mr President?" Mark O'Bannon called to his...boss.

"A little busy here Mark, can it wait."

"We have a...there's a...Kurt's sentient computer says the missiles are about to launch on their own and...she can't stop them unless you give her the codes to the button and it lets her in."

.

There was a pause, punctuated only by Steffi's gasps and cries and Beth whispering and singing with Shelby as the woman tried to keep her daughter from being afraid.

.

"Can anyone read minds, it's too long and complicated to recite and I kind of have my hands..."

"I can, now." Tina smiled as she placed a hand on the President's shoulder and with her other hand reached out to Kurt.

All three stiffened in concentration for a second.

::Got it, thanks Mr President, Tina, Kurt. Boys, I need you::

.

Where the two phones sat on the floor, a tiny tornado of silver sparks erupted. Seconds later two tiny human forms, barely clothed in silver light, stood holding hands. They were the spitting image of...

"Wow Blaine, even in miniature your ass is really..."  
>"Oh my lord Kurt, he's even got your hair..."<p>

The two tiny figures leapt towards the screen of the laptop and disappeared.

"Be careful guys!" Kurt called out.

"Look after each other!"Blaine added.

"Is that really what you guys look like nake..."Lauren picked Puck up by the shirt and shook him gently.

.

"Godmothers in cyberspace!"Sam was ecstatic.

.

.

"Have you finished yet?" Sue called out to Steffi, "some of us want to get on with the whole 'dying uselessly in a futile gesture of defiance' thing here."

"I...ahhh...will...bitch, bitch...bitch...tell you when...arrgh...I ...am...Oh God!"

"That's it dear, this is it. Just keep pushing." Dr Lopez was biting her own lip as Dave and Jeff stepped up their efforts. There wasn't much they could really do for the pain, but Steffi and her baby would be healthy and uninjured at least.

"Come on Steffi, keep pushing, I want to meet our newest American!" President Obama had his sleeves rolled up and was ready.

.

With a final scream Steffi collapsed back into Dave's arms and a few seconds later their powers had worked wonders on her.

"It's a girl." Dr Lopez said as she examined the tiny body held in President Obama's arms.

"I knew that!" Brittany smiled.

"Finally!" Sue huffed, looking at the group on the side of the stage. Her eyes widened and softened slightly as she took in the baby.

Steffi's eyes also widened as her daughter was passed into her arms, wrapped in...the red silk belt from around the Dali Lama's waist.

"Poor little thing, "She whispered, "All that effort, just to arrive as the world comes to an end."

"There's always hope." Sister Prejean said softly.

.

Steffi looked at her.  
>"I...I'm a catholic. Not a good one. Not a practicing one but...I...even though I have my doubts about god, I'd feel better knowing she was...if the worst..."<p>

Sister Helen smiled and nodded, "Want me to do it?"

"Yes please."

Pang conjured a ball of pure water from the air for the nun as she ran through a simple and pared down baptism ceremony.  
>The Dali Lama prayed next to her, as Steffi had asked him to.<p>

"Have you thought of a name?" Sister Helen asked gently as Steffi stared into her baby's eyes in wonder.

"Yes," Steffi finally whispered, "Her last name will be...Quinn, you know what your mom and Pete were talking about this morning, just the four of us? Well, I've made my decision. Her last name will be Fabray, just like her sister..."

Quinn smiled and cried simultaneously as she stared at Steffi and the baby.

"And her middle names, will be Lucy Brittana."

Santana let the tears flow down her face with no shame at all.  
>Brittany smiled at her and winked at the baby.<p>

"And her first name?" Sister Helen stood with the ball of water hovering above her hand as if this sort of thing was old hat to her.

.

Steffi whispered the name in her ear.  
>"It's something I thought I would never have again, until I met these Angels, both winged and walking."<p>

Sister Prejean nodded and completed the ceremony, taking the baby from Steffi's arms and gently wetting her head as she named the child.  
>The baby didn't cry at the touch of the cool water, just made a small gasp and her eyes widened in shock.<p>

Sister Helen held the child up so all on stage could see her.

"My friends, please welcome to our world this sweet child. May her name be a talisman to guide us in our darkest times."

She returned her to Steffi's waiting arms.  
>Steffi looked down at her daughter's red, squashed face and smiled.<p>

"Hello Hope."

.

Sue Sylvester bullied the smile that was threatening to take over her face again and snorted loudly.  
>"Can we all go and die now?"<p> 


	51. To Choose the Path Less Taken

**A/N: Hi All! I hope you have all been well and happy over the past weeks. And I am really hoping that you won't hate me too much for what I have done (taken ages to update) and am about to do (you'll see...)**  
><strong>Well, we've reached the pointy end of the story it seems, my plot bunnies have been almost impossible to wrangle recently, I think they are scared by this chapter, I know I was.<br>Slight warning of angst, violence, a bit of swearing and some serious death etc (I know, I know... but even Fairy Tales have bad stuff)  
><strong>

**As before, try to read it like it's an action movie, with cuts between scenes and the timelines ever so slightly blurry, it will make so much more sense then...I hope.  
>Some interesting cameos in here, I hope - just roll with it, ok?<br>**

**Reviews are, as always so appreciated, if only because (as you will read in the following chapter) I beleive that love is the most important emotion of all.**

**The song at the end is very special to me - I'll make it's name known in a special A/N after the chapter, ok?**

_**DISCLAIMER: Not a Glee writer or owner or even US Citizen. Just a bum who likes to tell silly stories and wishes love was as powerful as I think it should be.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.  
>.<p>

"It's ok to cry honey, you just let those tears out. No one will think less of you." Carole sat with her arm cradling the man as he sobbed quietly in the corner .

.

"Mr President we need to get you back to your..."

"He'll be there in a minute, "Carole said gently, "He just needed a little time to process it all. It can't be easy for any of you men and women, to have all these strange things going on and be so far away from your home, and so far from the people you love."

"I should...I need to be..." President Obama was struggling to put his 'game face' back on.

"You just relax Mr President honey, the country, hell, the whole world might need you, but you take as much time as you need for yourself too. I'm sure Kurt could probably get Michelle and the girls on the line for you if you need to talk to them."

The President just shook his head.  
>"I...they know I love them. I just wish I could be...I wish I knew they were safe."<p>

"Nowhere is safe anymore. Jesus! Is it that hard to get a simple concept like the end of all life on this planet through your heads?" Sue was still dressed in her tracksuit, although Carole's magic had not only cleaned it but repaired most of the major tears and burns.

"Where are the girls Mr President?" Carole asked.

"They...they were supposed to be flying out to Hawaii to visit my folks for the holidays. I was going to join them after this concert but...I think they are still stuck in LA."

"Well, so long as they stay put..."

"End of the world!" Sue thundered.

"Sir...Mr President...I...when I heard about what was likely to start happening tonight I...I took the liberty of contacting Secretary Gates and informing him. He made...he thought..."

"Spit it out Broccoli-Nose." She was in fine form.

"He sent the First Lady and the girls to...to the concert in Disneyland tonight."

"What?" President Obama was in shock. Everyone close by was equally confused.

Sue started laughing.  
>"Someone is thinking at last. Won't do any good in the long run, but...smart thinking."<p>

"Sue, what the hell are you..."Burt was one of the few who didn't fear Sue at all, before or after her revelation as one of the Ancient Fae Queens.

"The biggest threat will come from the Ban-Sidhe, the ones who can't stand strong positive emotions. That Gates fellow has just sent the first family to the safest place in the entire country."

"Disneyland?" Mark O'Bannon was confused.

Lauren completed the slogan.  
>"The happiest place on Earth!"<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

While Steffi had been recuperating side-stage, the crew had been working to prepare things for the second half of the show. A lot of complicated links would be happening very quickly, and they needed to be prepared.

As it was, the audience in the auditorium were already being treated to vision from the concert in Central Park while the curtains remained down over the stage area.

"We should...we should make...should I make some sort of announcement?" President Obama was back in business now.

"Not unless you want to watch several thousand people in here panic and crush each other to death trying to escape out into the dark night where the bad things can get at them even more easily." Sue snarled.

"If we need you to talk though, we'll need you in a hurry though, "Kurt said thinking fast, "Better find somewhere in the wings to watch the rest of the proceedings."

The President nodded.

"If all hell does break loose, what should we do?" Wes asked quietly, "those people in Central Park will need help."

"We need to stay here too, this is where the bulk of the forces will come." Blaine said carefully.

"Is there any word from your computer yet, Kurt?" Santana asked quietly, "If she and those cute little phone-boys don't succeed, this whole debate becomes a pile of faintly glowing ashes pretty darn fast anyway."

"Let's get everyone back onstage one last time and make some contingency plans." Blaine's voice was calming.

In the end the plan was simple.

If an attack began Blaine, with his Timelord ability to process and understand rapidly changing variables would be the one who would make the call.

If Blaine determined that the people in the park were endangered, a small force, led by Sue and Pang, and comprising of Paul Karofsky, Patricia and all the Warblers, except Blaine and Jeff, would travel by Pang's magic to nearby Central Park.

The New Directions, plus Blaine, Dave and Jeff, as well as the Hummels and the Andersons would stay to defend the President and the people in the Theatre.

::I'm going to have to alter that plan already boys, sorry::  
>Roberta's computer voice sounded...tired.<p>

"What's going on Roberta? I have been sort of assuming that the fact we were all still here and hadn't heard the atomic bombs going off meant that you were at least holding your own there."  
>Kurt was also sounding a bit frazzled.<p>

::We are, but that's just it, we're only holding them. If something else comes along we're in trouble. I might need some help when push comes to shove::

"How many?" Blaine was firing on all synapses now.

::Probably only one person, maybe two. Like I said, I just need a little something to push the balance back in our favour::

"Who here is good at computers?" Blaine asked.

::No Blaine, that's not a requirement. The boys say they can bring anyone who volunteers to help in here with us. The biggest requirements will be a well developed imagination, a strong...very strong power of will and an ability to deal with issues and problems by outthinking them rather than just brute force::

"I am infinitely more stubborn than any of you, "Mercedes immediately said, "And Sam here lives in a fantasy world most of his waking hours."

"Good, you two go help there then." Kurt was trying not to worry about his best friend.

"I'll go too." Artie said quietly.

"No!" Steffi shouted, "You have to...I mean...I ..."

"I'm not any use here, "Artie said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice, "Here I'm a burden. Inside the computer...? Inside the internet I'd be...I wouldn't be stuck in this thing anymore would I Roberta?"

::If your strength of will is sufficient...no. You would be able to be or do almost anything you can imagine::

"Having to make your way through a world designed for normal people when you're stuck in this thing, "Artie smacked the rim of his left wheel again, "It makes you learn how to think your way around obstacles."

"Then it's settled, "Blaine said with an air of finality.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The concert was going brilliantly.

The Wiggles had been amazing, with adults and kids alike dancing like lunatics to their bright and bubbly songs.  
>The live cross to Radio City had gone without a hitch. Everyone in Central Park had cheered and laughed at all the right moments and all the friends and parents had been impressed with the way their loved ones more than held their own against the celebrity cast.<p>

Mercedes' mother had kept clutching her husband's arm and stammering 'my baby flirted with Jamie Foxx, did you see. My baby and Jamie Foxx sang together!'

The Berrys had found all the others wrapping them up in a supportive hug when they sat, tears streaming watching their precious daughter chat casually with her idol, almost as if the two were old friends. When Barbra had asked Rachel, oh so casually, if there were any song that she knew that Barbra might also know they had clutched each other and let the tears fall freely at last.  
>Rachel had managed to keep the details a secret from them.<p>

Rachel and Barbra had sounded amazing together. The only think better than the beauty of their final harmony was the look of sheer joy that radiated off the screen whenever the camera found Ms Berry's face. The genuine warmth with which Ms Streisand had farewelled her duet partner had also been clear to all those watching.

The simulcast from Radio City had ended with the Act one finale, although this time Dave and Jeff had managed to stay firmly fixed to the stage. Since the visitors from Lima had already seen and heard it once before, they were able to drag their attention away from the almost heartbreaking beauty of Dave's solo as it danced with the harmony from the Warblers and watch some of the reactions of the crowd around them.

When Jeff had once again walked forward and begun to sing with Dave, the huge crowd in Central Park had, almost as one, taken a huge breath in and begun to smile and cry at the same time.

"The boys may be hiding their wings, but they are letting their love show, "Paul whispered to the woman in his arms, "I hope the crowd won't..."

Patricia hushed him with a gentle finger on his lips and gestured to the wrapt faces shining with tears.  
>"I think this crowd...they get it Paul, they really get it."<p>

"My fans are good little monsters, they know we all have a place in this world."

Emma Pillsbury turned to look at the woman standing in the shadows behind them, protected from view by a large crowd control barrier.  
>Lady Gaga was wearing what would have been a perfectly ordinary evening dress, had the evening been set in France in the mid Eighteenth Century. Even then the outfit as a whole would have attracted attention.<br>She was a living rainbow.

The top right-hand edge of her towering wig was tinted bright red. A diagonal slash at about forty-five degrees that bled into a bright orange slash at the same angle just a little bit below. The orange slash went across her face, encompassing her right eye before blending seamlessly into a bright sunshine-yellow stripe. Her hands and arms bore stripes of colour also, as did her dress and décolletage. By examining the coloured stripes for a few seconds it was plain to see that the effect was maximised when she stretched out her arms in the classic 'Vitruvian Man' pose made so famous by Leonardo Da Vinci.

"Stephanie! I thought you were supposed to be on next!" Emma whispered to her.

"I am sweetie, I just needed to make sure you guys were ok. Security has been telling me they've had reports of some sort of strange noises from outside the concert area. Better be careful Em, I'm starting to get used to you."

Emma giggled nervously and smiled at the pop star.  
>"Carole called a few minutes ago, they're getting set to meet the President. She said everything seemed quiet so far there too."<p>

"That won't last, "Will Schuster said quietly.

Lady Gaga nodded.  
>"Hey listen, I'm fetching a good friend of mine and bringing him to stand here with you guys. He's pretty cool , so don't be too worried, but I just need to know at least one friend is safe tonight, and I figure you guys are probably more capable of handling any weirdness that might go on than even these big lugs!"<p>

The security man rolled his eyes at her teasing, it was obvious that he had worked this gig before and was both used to and fond of the eccentric diva.

A short, nervous young man came towards them, being led by a couple of security people

"I gotta skedaddle guys, I'll give you a wave from the stage, ok?"

"Bye Gaga!" Judy Fabray whispered to her as she spotted her.

"Be careful Stephanie, 'Emma murmured.

"Only you and my mom call me that Emma, it makes me feel like I am in trouble."

Emma smiled as Gaga laughed at her own joke and left for her performance.

The young man held a hurried, whispered conversation with Lady Gaga before kissing her on her bright yellow left cheek and coming forward to meet the others.  
>He was slender and wore glasses, and was quite handsome. Stevie and Stacey Evans gasped with shock and excitement as they looked over from where Azimio and Coach Bieste were holding them up on their shoulders to get a better view.<br>Stevie and Stacey recognised him instantly.

"Holy crap...oh, sorry Mrs Evans!" Azimio ducked his head nervously as he swore.

"Is that who I think it is?" Paul Karofsky whispered.

"It is, "Patricia answered, "I see his face on that poster in Times Square every day I'm home."

The man reached out a hand to greet Hiram Berry, who was the closest.  
>"Hello!" He said with a definite English accent, "I'm Daniel."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Quinn sat with Steffi, teaching the young girl how to hold and care for her baby.

'I thought you didn't get to do this with..." Steffi's voice trailed away.

"I got to say goodbye, "Quinn said softly, 'And I have read every book and seen every video there is about newborns. At first it was so I could see why I was right to make the decision I made, but after a while...it just seemed to be something I wanted to learn."

"You should be a doctor, or a nurse, or a counsellor." Steffi smiled shyly at her friend.

"I might, I still can't think what I want to do."

The two girls looked at the rest of their group as they ran through blocking and lines in preparation for the second act.  
>Shelby sat next to them, Beth fast asleep in her arms.<p>

"Do you...Quinn...do you still miss him?" Steffi asked.

"Who?"

"The... Beth's father...Puck."

"No, I've moved on from him. We were never meant to be together. I thought I found that with Finn, but after I hurt Sam so badly and then Finn...well he left me...again... I decided then that I needed to stop looking for a man to fix all my problems and learn how to be me, to own my own life. I'll meet Mr Right one day."

"How...how will you know when you meet him?"

"I guess I will just know, "Quinn was thinking about it, "I've already guessed wrong a few times, so I'm learning what not to look for at least."

Steffi smiled thinly.

"Does this question have anything to do with you and a certain geeky but handsome boy in a wheelchair by any chance?" Quinn was grinning at her.

Steffi's blush was answer enough.

"Is it because you can feel safe with him?" Quinn asked gently.

"No!" Steffi seemed shocked, "It's not about that. Brittany has told me enough stories about her time with Artie that...I know he's not some sort of sexless toy. I'm not scared of boys if that's what you're thinking. I still have issues because of...what my dad...but Artie... he just makes me smile. He's so sweet and funny, and he is really handsome, I'm glad someone else has noticed it too. I like him because of who he is, not because of what he can or can't do. I'm not choosing him because he's in a chair and that makes him somehow a safe option, I just...I like him."

"Have you told him that?" Shelby asked carefully.

"No...not yet, but I...I will...after..." Steffi's eyes widened, "I might not get the chance! If something happens I..."

"We'll be fine, "Quinn reassured her, "I don't know why, but I just feel that things are going to work out somehow. Maybe I'm beginning to believe in magic?"

Steffi laughed at that.

"Does it hurt to see everyone pairing up?" Steffi asked, this time her voice was even lower.

"A little."

"Do you think that you'll ever...?"

"Quinn, Steffi, Ms Corcoran...did you want a drink of water?" Nick was holding out a cup of water to her while Trent was carrying tray filled with more plastic cups.  
>Steffi eagerly reached for the cup and whispered a shy thank you.<p>

"No thankyou..."Shelby was trying to remember the name she had been told the night before.

"Nick, "Quinn supplied for her, smiling at the boy as she did so, "I still haven't managed to thank you properly for saving my face from that crow..."

Nick blushed and his charming grinned flashed at her.  
>"It was nothing."<p>

"Nevertheless, I'm very grateful to you."

Nick smiled even more broadly and made an elaborate bow.  
>"Think nothing of it milady. I am but a humble knight in your service."<p>

Quinn laughed at him and rose from her chair, adopting a regal pose and holding her hand out for him to kiss.

"We are well pleased with our brave Knight." She and Nick burst into giggles as Steffi and Shelby tried mightily not to laugh so much that their motion might wake the children.

From across the room Sue stared at Nick. He could feel the force of her glare.

"Wow, she really knows how to glare, doesn't she?"

Quinn raised an elegant brow at her former coach and, with a touch on his elbow, turned the boy back to face her and Steffi.

"She's always been a bit overprotective about her girls, even those of us she kicked off the team for getting pregnant."

"And all this time she was a Faerie Queen, "Nick said, "Who would have guessed. I always wished I could meet royalty!"

Quinn laughed, "Well, I would have been the Junior Prom Queen if those idiots who wanted to upset Kurt hadn't played that horrible joke. It's not quite a Faerie Kingdom, but I think I'd be allowed at least one Knight, part time, don't you agree?"

Nick smiled at her and kissed her hand with another elaborate flourish before moving on to catch up with Trent as he continued to make sure everyone got a drink.

"He's cute!" Steffi whispered in Quinn's direction. "And you could serve me lunch off that ass of his any day!"

"I know he is cute, "Quinn replied, "But I'm not looking for a boyfriend. Mind you, it might be fun to go out on a date or have a boy to go dancing with. I love going to dances, but Kurt is so wrapped up these days...although I suppose I now at least know why he's been too busy to go dancing with me..."

Quinn, Shelby and Steffi chatted quietly for a few more minutes.

"...and he certainly does have an amazing ass."

Across the room Sue was still staring at the small group, a slight frown on her face...as usual.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Five songs into Lady Gaga's set and Emma felt her phone vibrate again. She answered the call and listened carefully as Elaine Anderson explained what had happened and what the plans were.

Several minutes later the message had been passed to all the people from Lima to be prepared for action.

Daniel Radcliffe was sitting on the grass listening to the music and talking to a very animated Stevie Evans.

"...and I loved the part where you had to eat the weed stuff so you could go and rescue the people in the lake and I loved the part where you..."

"Stevie, shush. Mr Radcliffe doesn't need you to remind him about the movie honey, he was there."  
>Mrs Evans smiled at her slightly overexcited son as he and his sister sat either side of the slender young man, leaning up against their new best friend.<p>

"I really don't mind Mrs Evans. That part was one of my favourites too."

"You are a true hero Mr Radcliffe, just don't let Stevie try to talk you into eating grass and then trying to breathe underwater, he scared us terribly after that little escapade."

"I was little mom! I know not to do that now."

"Stevie turned blue and mommy said a bad word and cried." Stacey said softly. "But we got taught CPR in school and I told her what to do."

Stevie just sat embarrassed and red-faced.

"Hey, don't be glum pumpkin, "said Coach Bieste who sat on his other side, "You don't want a face so long your bottom lip gets called a floor mop do ya?"

Stevie was a little lost at that, but then, most people usually were when Coach talked.

"You do know magic is all pretend don't you? "Asked Daniel, his face a little worried.

"We thought it was, but now we know better." Stacey piped up from his left.

"You...does that mean you thought it was pretend and now you don't, or you thought it was real and now..."

"We saw Angels! Our big brother Sammy is friends with them!"

Stacey, Daniel thought, had been the sensible one.

"Want to know a secret?" Stevie whispered so that only the three of them would hear. Coach Bieste was saying something even more cryptic to his dad right at that moment.

Daniel nodded.

"They think we didn't get one, but we did."

Daniel frowned.

"Who thinks...that?"

"The grownups of course!" Stacey giggled.

"And what do they think you didn't get...I mean what did you get that they...I mean..."

"They don't know we got wished too!" Stevie said proudly, "I already made my wish, but Stacey still has hers, show him Stacey!"

Stacey Evans reached into her pocket and pulled out a large gold coin. Carefully making sure her parents weren't watching, she opened her palm to show him.

"Wow, that's..."

"It's a wish coin! We can wish for anything!"

"Is this a game?" Daniel was trying to work out what to say.

"No, there were scary things. Kurt and Blaine made some wishes to help keep us all safe. They had to tell us after Dave and Jeff flew around and kissed and stuff, that part was icky."

"It was not!" Stacey frowned at her brother, "Dave and Jeff love each other, that's not icky. They love each other like mommy and daddy do, and Sam and 'Cedes, and Hiram and Leroy."

"I mean kissing is icky. Why do people do that Har...I mean Daniel?"

Daniel thought fast.  
>"So...tell me more about these wishes?"<p>

"Kurt told us to wish for something to keep us safe from the bad things, and Lord Tubbington, he's a cat, he told us to use them whitely...um...wisely."

"I wished for a huge Dragon to come and protect us if the bad things try to hurt us!" Stevie said proudly.

"Oh...that's...nice." Daniel was lost again.

"I still don't know what I'm going to wish for." Stacey said seriously, "But maybe I don't have to now you're here. I mean, we have a real wizard to protect us all now."

Daniel bit his lip and tried to explain gently.  
>"Stacey, those are only books and movies, magic isn't real."<p>

"You mean you can't cast spells and use a wand and stuff?"

"No, I'm sorry Stacey, I am just an actor. I wish I had a wand and could cast magic for real sometimes, but I can't, no one can."

Stacey smiled and looked at the coin in her palm.  
>She looked back into his eyes.<p>

Stacey's grin got a little bit wider.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine felt the movement in the earth beneath the theatre several minutes before anyone else noticed something was wrong.

_Kurt, I think something is trying to break through the ground beneath the basement_

_Oh...that's good_

Kurt kept singing as he answered his boyfriend.

_Honey, could I possibly finish this song and then panic? It's just, I really need to concentrate so...I...can...hit...this...note!_

Kurt hit the High F flawlessly and the audience shouted their appreciation.  
>Kurt smiled as he acknowledged them and the band played the final few bars of Defying Gravity.<p>

The entire theatre shook as something caused the earth to move beneath its foundations.

The audience were shocked to silence.

Shelby and Steffi clasped their daughters closer to their chests as the cast and crew in the wings looked at each other with trepidation.

From her seat beside the President, Sue held a hand to her ear, as if receiving a message via an earpiece and smiled reassuringly at the people around her as she escorted President Obama up onto the stage.

"Just smile and nod, don't let the yokels know they're toast...yet."

Poppy made a prearranged announcement over the speakers and the curtains and the large screens were lowered so that the audience in the theatre could watch the Central Park concert while 'technicians investigate what the cause of the vibration might be'.

"Is it terrorists or Faerie?" John Anderson asked quietly.

"How come they are working together come to think of it?" David asked as he reached his hand out to his side. Seconds later Wes's warm hand slipped into his grasp and both boys visibly relaxed.

"The Ban-Sidhe want to destroy the world. They thrive on the dark emotions: Pain, suffering, fear, despair... I suspect some of the Unseelie have made contact, either overtly or by their usual methods of possession , and have been getting the various terror organisations around the world to ramp up their activities." Lord Tubbington was biting his lip in deep thought as he shared his musings with the group.

"I'm amazed they haven't had bombings and hijackings going on non-stop for weeks!" Sue grunted. "I thought I'd trained those losers better than this."

"Well, they somehow joined forces with some cyber-terrorists and have tried to turn the entire planet into a radioactive wasteland, so I suppose that gives them an A for effort." Kurt's voice was dry and his face slipped into his stand-by diva glare.

As if on cue, Roberta's voice came from the speakers set side-stage as the projection screen on the backdrop flared into life by itself.

::Mercedes, Sam, Artie, I need you now. The enemy have outflanked us and they've managed to activate a few of the launch codes. The boys are locking the missile systems down, but I can sense the other side have reinforcements moving in on other targets too...hang on::

There was a tense silence across the stage. The screen at the back of the stage lowered itself and the projector in the ceiling switched on.

"I hope it's you doing that Roberta, I don't think I could cope with meeting the theatre ghost on top of everything else." Rachel's voice was calm, but her face betrayed her nervousness. Finn slipped his arm around her shoulders and calmed her imperceptible tremors with the warm solidity of his body.

Kurt's laptop beeped and a second later a computer generated image of a woman's face appeared on the screen.

::Hi everyone. Thought it might be nice if I put my face on for this. Can't talk long, we've got them caught up in a few booby traps Bramley thought up, but we can only use those one time. The boys and I can handle the human hackers alright, but there are ...creatures in here somehow, with us. We can handle them too, but we can't deal with both. I need those volunteers. If you could all gather in the centre of the stage and face the screen, the boys will be here in a second to help you transition::

"Will three be enough for you Roberta?" Blaine had slipped into leader-mode.

As Mercedes and Sam stepped forward the image of Roberta smiled and nodded.

::OK, boys, I have them locked down for now. Go get our volunteers and bring them in. The boys and I are switching in and out of the combat so that we can keep the enemy guessing about our strategies. With your help guys I know we can clean house properly::

Roberta seemed to smile sadly and her 'eyes' looked for Kurt as if she could actually see him from the screen.

::Kurt...Kurt, be careful out here, you too Blaine...this won't take very long, but I won't be able to communicate once I begin, so...I want to tell you...I love you both, ok?::

Sam reached out and clasped a trembling Mercedes to his chest. Artie was wheeling his chair to the centre of the stage to join them when Steffi called out to him and he paused.

Wincing with residual pain she got up from the sofa (yes, the one from the plane, Burt had fetched it for her) and, holding little Hope to her, carefully walked the few steps to Artie.

"You...you better come back here soon, and in one piece Mr Abrams. I...I just really need you to come back soon, ok?"

Artie smiled shyly at her.  
>Steffi reached out her free hand and cupped his cheek gently, her thumb tracing the single tear that fell from his eye.<p>

Puck came over to help Artie get into the position on stage that Roberta had requested.  
>He decided that this tension really needed some serious breaking.<p>

"Hey, do you think that these phone guys, what were their names? Buttley and Ben-Dover...Do you think they know all about Kurt and Blaine's sex secrets? I mean, those two have got to have been passing some pretty steamy sexts to each other. While you're in there guys, I want you to make it your secondary mission to scope out any juice on Klaine sex...ok?"

"Puckerman, you are truly pathetic." Kurt's voice was like ice.

Puck looked up form where he had been speaking to Sam and Artie and quailed beneath the force of not one but two Kurt diva-stares.

Even as he looked between the face of Kurt and the face of his smaller, silver twin, he heard a stereo sigh and caught sight of Blaine and Ben-Davis shaking their heads in perfect synchronisation.

::Ready 'Cedes?::  
>Bramley smiled shyly at her from the projection screen at the back of the stage.<p>

::I promise we'll be very careful of you. The process will be quick, and I will do my best to keep you comfortable during it::  
>Ben-Davis sounded like a slightly electronic version of Blaine's usual honeyed tones.<p>

The two images, naked silver chests gleaming, leaned out of the screen and into the air above the cast and crew who stood in amazement.  
>Their hands reached down to touch the three humans who sat and stood with arms around each other in the centre of the stage.<p>

There was a flash of silver light.

Artie's chair sat there...empty.

T.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

he President had insisted on making a speech.

Urging his audiences not to panic (he had insisted on opening the links to all telecast locations across the country), President Obama had told a very lightly sketched version of the truth. When it became obvious from the reactions of the audience in the theatre at least that people were beginning to doubt his sanity, Dave had simply stood forward and then flown, wings gleaming in the lights, across the entire Radio City audience before landing in the balcony and then returning to the stage.

People believed much more easily after that.

All the theatre workers in the lower levels were evacuated to the auditorium and then Pang and Sue had combined their powers to fill all the areas below the stage with solid ice.

"It won't stop them, but it means they'll have to break through the walls like any self-respecting monster should." Sue had grinned.

The audience was remarkably calm, Jeff had a hand in that.

"Emma, things are beginning to move here, anything happening at your end?" Carole was on the phone to Central Park again. "And how is the crowd reacting to President Obama's speech?"

Carole looked up and gave those who were watching her a thumbs up.  
>She ended the call by telling Emma to share all their love with the others.<p>

"Emma says Gaga is organising the crowd from the stage. She's taking Lord Tubbington's advice to heart and getting the crowd to form up into groups and telling them to introduce themselves to each other, tell stories about their lives and so forth. I think she's trying to get everyone to make friends."

"That might just work! " Blaine said, thinking it through, "Or at least...it can't hurt."

"Is it time for us to go now oh fearless leader-dwarf?" Sue said with withering scorn.

"Where is Grandpa Pang?" Blaine asked.

"He said he needed to go to the bathroom." Trent said as he and the other Warblers gathered their things and whatever weapons they felt they might need.  
>Trent concentrated for a second, making sure that the fire his wish allowed him to call would answer his thoughts freely.<p>

"Bathroom?" Kurt, Blaine and the Andersons all said simultaneously.

Sue just laughed.

"Please be careful boys." Carole said softly, "I'm so proud of you. I know you can help keep those people safe."

Even as each of the Warblers was being hugged by Kurt and Blaine (and Jeff), Carole's magic made them feel...stronger...braver.

A grumbling Pang was literally dragged in by Sue Sylvester, all those nearby could hear was his thin, reedy voice saying 'swirly, swirly'.

President Obama thought it prudent to warn the audience before Pang transformed. He got the curtains raised again and made sure the link to Central Park was still open too. It wouldn't do for a security guard or Police Officer to shoot their gun at the Dragon. Bystanders might get hurt by the ricochet.

"...allies we didn't even know we had have come to join with us to fight this menace. On behalf of the nations of the world I would like to thank Emperor Pang Lung of the Celestial Court."  
>As the President finished his second speech for the evening, Pang transformed to Dragon form, wrapped himself around those who had volunteered to defend the park and transformed further into a huge slivery cloud.<p>

Seconds later, the Dragon appeared above Central Park, and the crowd began cheering.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Sam, Mercedes and Artie were standing in a featureless white room, the walls of which seemed both quite close and...so far away as to be non-existent.

Wait...

Standing.

Artie looked down.

A tall, beautiful woman in a red dress and matching heels walked towards them, the ensemble striking under the pristine white lab coat she was also wearing. She also had what Sam instantly (and Artie only a few seconds slower) identified as 'Borg' enhancements.

"Roberta?" Mercedes asked, a little intimidated by their abrupt translation.

"Hello Mercedes Jones, I'm sorry the boys didn't stick around, their attentions were needed elsewhere, plus I think they are still a little shy around...non-cyber beings."

"I see they still haven't gotten shy enough for clothing yet." Artie drawled.

"And if they are to scale with the real Kurt and Blaine, I think we all saw why both our friends spend so much time making trees and flowers." Sam smiled, wincing slightly when Mercedes slapped him on the head.

"What? You were looking too."

"That is just...you can't..."Mercedes trailed away and she had to blush. "Yeah, we need to tell Puck when we get back that no one will need to ask if Kurt and Blaine decide to go the next base, we'd hear the screams from New Jersey."

It was Sam's turn to blush now.

Artie was exploring the white room.  
>Actually, he was using that as an excuse to explore the sensation of walking again.<p>

"What? How?"

"Oh...Artie!" Mercedes had only just registered what he was doing. She ran to him and drew him into a huge hug.

"Is this the room from The Matrix?" Sam asked as he joined the hug.

"Yes, "Roberta said simply, "I thought it best to start you off in a way you would find familiar or at least find understandable."

"How does this place work?" Artie was practicing knee bends now.

"Actually, pretty much exactly like that movie. What you can imagine and hold in your mind, that's what is real. Be careful not to over-reach yourselves until you get used to things though."

"Don't we need to hurry?" Mercedes asked, "I mean, back ...there, things were just starting and I don't want to be away too ling."

Roberta laughed.  
>"Time moves much faster in here than out there. We should be able to solve my little problem here, and get you guys back into your world before more than about five minutes have passed for your friends."<p>

"Cool." Artie said, "I don't want to leave...um...our friends out there alone with...um...any longer than...um...yeah, let's get started Roberta, ok?"

Roberta nodded as Mercedes and Sam exchanged knowing looks and matching smiles.

"Ok, let's get you guys some equipment then!"

Only Mercedes was surprised by the racks of armour, weapons and ammo that seemed to zoom out of nowhere.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The link between the two concerts was still open, which meant that each group knew what the other was facing.

The sky over Central Park was filled with the undead crow creatures the Warblers had faced before.  
>Formidable though they might be, the crows were no real match for either Pang in Dragon form, or for the Berrys as they wheeled around the Dragon's much larger form with long wooden staffs in their expert grips.<p>

"And you always told me that Kendo was a useless Martial Art!" Leroy teased Hiram as he despatched another group of crows.

From the stage, Emma and Lady Gaga worked to keep the crowds from panic. Emma had never felt so confident before, it was as if she just...knew what to say to calm the people listening to her.

Will was busy organising the crowd into smaller units, and getting them to work as teams.

Those with magical powers had at first tried to spread out to protect as many as possible, but that soon became unworkable.  
>Finally Sue had allowed the glowing sword of ice she had conjured to fade away, and had reached out with her power to try to influence the Unseelie attackers.<p>

"I can't do anything about the criminals and terrorists who are out there, but the Fae still obey me to at least this extent. If we can concentrate most of the magical attackers here, where we are, the cops should be able to at least hold their own against the mundane forces."

Stacey and Stevie Evans sat holding each other as they watched their parents and their new friends fighting creatures from out of their worst nightmares.

Above them stood the bulky form of Azimio Adams, who had already used his amazing super strength to bat away a group of the kobold creatures that had tried to sneak up on them. He still held the iron lamppost he had torn from the ground to use as a bat in his left hand.

Beside him, Daniel Radcliffe stood, his arms tight around Stacey's shaking body.  
>He felt helpless and confused.<br>He felt frightened and angry.  
>He felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him as he heard Stacey muttering something under her breath.<p>

He felt...he felt something in his jacket pocket.

Stacey turned to look up at him.  
>"Use it Harry..I mean, Daniel. I made my wish."<p>

Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out...his wand? The wand he had grown so familiar with during all those years of filming.

A man carrying a machine gun burst out of the darkness and pointed his weapon at the crowd.  
>Daniel narrowed his eyes and suddenly found his instincts kick in as he pointed the slender piece of wood towards the new threat.<p>

"Expelliarmus!"

The gun flew out of the man's hands and a few seconds later, Azimio's lamppost sent the man's unconscious body flying in to a group of the evil kobolds, crushing several of them.

Daniel grinned, "Totally awesome wish Stacey!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Sam was flying over the jungles, his long blue arms holding tight to the...metal crossbars of the speed-bike he suddenly found himself riding.

His blue limbs had become normal again, but were now clad in some sort of metallic armour.

In the distance his quarry was losing the advantage it had possessed.

"Sorry sweetheart, you can't change worlds fast enough to shake me. I know them all." Sam grinned widely as he suddenly found himself on the deck of what looked like a nuclear submarine.

The sonar indicated that the mercurial demon he had been chasing was almost close enough to touch.  
>Before he could launch into his infamous Sean Connery impersonation, the scene changed again.<p>

A conical creature made of metal stood before him, it's long metal eyestalk dilating and constricting as it took him in.

"Dalek!" Sam identified as he dived behind a nearby boulder.  
>His enemy had finally stopped running.<p>

Sam thought for a few seconds, even as he was rolling behind another set of rocks.

Behind him the first cover was blown to pieces by some sort of energy beam.

"Well..." Sam thought aloud, "What would the Doctor do in this situation? Sonic screwdrivers might work directly against a Dalek, if I had one, and I'm also fresh out of D-Mat guns or the like. What I really need now is a brave and faithful companion to distract it for a few seconds so I can pop it open and kill it before it changes the scene again."

"Will I do Mr Evans?" Lord Tubbington seemed to phase into reality beside him.

"Are you real or did I make you?"

Lord Tubbington looked at him carefully.  
>"An excellent question Mr Evans. I am indeed real in the objective sense. Brittany had a feeling that you might all need a little helping hand, so I decided to lend a...paw."<p>

"How did you get here? I thought the Apple Twins were busy."

"I am all that is left of several deities of travel, mischief and communication Mr Evans. You will find there are very few places I cannot go should I express a desire to do so."

"Ok then, companion sorted..."

They rolled behind a fallen log as the Dalek continued to randomly blast their cover away.

"...now all I need is a way to open that casing."

Lord Tubbington sighed.  
>"Check your top pocket Mr Evans."<p>

Sam raised an eyebrow as he tossed his long scarf back and reached into the top pocket of the elaborate frock-coat he was suddenly wearing.  
>These random changes were almost starting to be fun, he thought.<p>

Sam looked at what he had found.

"Just point and think, right Lord T?"

"Right...Doctor." Lord Tubbington winked at him as he leapt from cover, distracting the Dalek long enough for Sam to cover its eyestalk with his hat.

"Where did you find an actual functioning sonic screwdriver?" Sam asked as he disabled the Dalek's defences with it.

Lord Tubbington smiled.

"I'll explain later."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The people assembled in the auditorium of Radio City were praying.

An elderly woman and her husband, whom Kurt recognised from the restaurant the other day, were organising the crowd nearest to them into first aid and counselling volunteers.

While the people in the park seemed to be facing mostly physical threats, it was the ghost-like, shadowy Ban-Sidhe that was the bulk of the forces faced by those here.

Some physical attackers had slipped past Sue's barrier however, and Tina and Mike were trying to use their super speed and Tina's telepathy to track down the Gremlins that had now hidden amongst the lights and equipment in the flies.

Kurt was using his power to try to keep the link to the cyber world open. He didn't know what might happen if it shut, and he wasn't about to risk losing his friends.

The first of the Ban-Sidhe had tried to possess one of the Secret Service agents, and get him to shoot the President.

"They think we'll panic and crumble if they kill our leader." Blaine had reasoned.

"The crowd probably will." Murmured his mother. "He's all that is keeping them calm I think."

Dave's wings flared out as a gremlin dropped a light from the rig above the audience and injured several people. Before the crowd could start panicking, their injuries were taken from them by the Angel on the stage who hissed with pain as the cuts and bruises covered his body.

"Broken glass...ouch. Hot broken glass...double ouch!"

Jeff kissed Dave's bleeding lips and he felt the pain go away.

_._

_I love you Dave_

_I love you too_

_Scared?_

_Yes_

_Me too. Are we going to die?_

_It won't hurt this time, not if you're with me_

_I don't want you to die Dave_

_I don't know how much I can take Jeff, I don't know if there is a limit on how many injuries I can take from the innocent. But I have to try to take them all, even if..._

_Dave_

_...I'm sorry_

_Dave, I understand. You are the bravest and most selfless man I have ever met. If...if you have to choose between helping the others and dying yourself...I...I understand...I..._

_Jeff!_

_...but know this Big Bird...I won't let you die alone...not this time_

.

Tears in their eyes the two boys broke their kiss and looked at each other.  
>They nodded slightly, understanding the choice they had just made.<p>

Only Lord Tubbington saw the look in their eyes, and understood it.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The Berrys were tiring, but the crows kept coming at them.

"I can't keep doing this Leroy!"

"We have to. Those people need us, our baby needs us!"

Hiram didn't answer as he twisted and turned to avoid the sharp beaks of an attacking crow.

"Well..." he finally said, "If we're going to go out like this, I want to go out with a sparkle!"

Light began to play across his skin as he started to glow. It was as if a thousand stars were burning just beneath the surface of his skin.  
>His husband's skin was also beginning to glow.<p>

"Ok Leroy?"

"Ready Hiram."

Both men smiled as the light from their bodies started to singe and destroy the crows they were surrounded by.  
>They spoke as one.<p>

"Showtime!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Mercedes frowned as the cockroach-like robots multiplied again around her and moved in for the kill, their pincers snapping dangerously close to her skin.

"No, " she said, "I won't let you dictate the rules."

She frowned at the evil looking spider-imp that sat perched on top of the laser-gun encrusted battle platform.

"I control this reality, "She said forcefully, "I am Ms Mercedes Jones. I am the best singer at McKinley High. I am beautiful and talented and most of all I am stubborn. You might be some sort of super-powered evil elf lord, but I have faced down Rachel Berry in a Broadway challenge and nothing is scarier than that. My will is more powerful than yours Mr, and don't...you...forget...it!"

As she reached the end of her little speech she took all the drive and force of personality she had been honing over the years and released it in a concentrated and controlled burst around her.

The replicants around her crumbled into dust.

"I will create the reality I want to play in!" She thundered.

Before her fierce gaze the spider imp lost its metallic sheen, and the platform upon which it sat also changed, becoming more organic, more...fungal.

"Did I ever tell you that Alice in Wonderland was my favourite book as a girl?" Mercedes bantered as around her a giant garden sprang up from the deck of the robotic battleground her opponent had tried to force her to accept.

The spider-imp wailed in fear.

"I just loved all the crazy settings, and most of all I loved the characters"

The imp was trapped on the giant mushroom, held fast in the silken coils thrown by the large caterpillar that sat smoking its hookah on the mushroom's crown.

"And my favourite character was always..."

A huge toothy maw appeared over the Spider-Imp's head and with a loud purr...bit it in half."

"There, "Mercedes smiled at the cat that faded into view, hovering above the remains of her foe. "Now, let's go find Sam and Artie and get the hell out of here, Kurt needs me."

"An excellent idea Miss Jones," Lord Tubbington nodded, "That is why I came to fetch you."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Dave's healing was beginning to fail.

He simply couldn't keep up the effort any longer.  
>Life threatening injuries were still being taken, but minor cuts and abrasions had to stay where they were.<p>

The Ban-Sidhe were everywhere.  
>Their evil miasma of doom and gloom acted like a drain on everyone, and their touch could kill, or possess.<p>

As the magical powered amongst the crowd began to tire, some of the non-magicals decided to take a stand.

The Dali Lama walked towards a group of Ban-Sidhe who had just ghosted through the walls of the stage and, smiling, offered them his wrist to drink the blood they also craved.

As the group descended upon him in a feeding frenzy, their bodies shimmered and burnt away, like morning dew in the face of the risen sun.

"Oops!" He said, his eyes twinkling as he spied a new group of Sidhe, "You look so hungry too. Please, let me make my small offering to you..."

The Ban-Sidhe fled in terror.

On the other side of the stage, Sister Prejean stood facing the group of Sidhe that had just tried to rush her as she stood next to Brittany and Santana and blocked their path to the President.

"You poor lost souls, "The nun whispered as they directed their aura of despair and hopelessness at her. "I'll pray for you."

None of the evil creatures dared pass her.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Coach Bieste tore the park bench from its concrete moorings and used it to wipe out a score or more of the kobolds.  
>Reaching down she grabbed Pete from where he had been using his body to protect Judy Fabray from the creatures' claws and teeth and helped them to their feet.<p>

"Wow, that was lucky that you got here just as they swarmed us!" Pete said, slightly winded.

Judy's touch was already healing the few bites and scratches he had received in the seconds before Coach Bieste had rescued them.

"Yeah..."Shannon drawled"...you're a lucky guy alright!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Artie stumbled out of the forest of crystal spears and back down the path, the heart of the evil wizard clenched in his hand.

"Bet you weren't expecting me to use my batarang, were you Fae-bitch?" He muttered to himself as he ran.

"Having my heart won't stop me from killing you, human!"

The wicked looking Unseelie Sidhe stopped running as she reached an area of clear ground and turned.

As she did so, the world around them changed and Artie found himself standing on a gantry over a sheer drop.  
>Before him, the Fae Wizard had morphed into...the female terminator from T3.<p>

"I am thousands of millions of years old puny human. I can hold this world to my will no matter how you seek to change it. You are mine now. First I will break you, then I will eat your heart for daring to touch mine."

Artie stood there, unable to dodge as the creature sent out a vicious kick which hurled him over the railing.

He fell, hearing the bones in his legs and spine snap as he landed.

The Terminator was upon him seconds later.

"Now you are helpless, puny mortal. Beg me for mercy...please."

Artie could feel the familiar lack of feeling in his legs again.

"Distraction now please Pussycat!" He said with a terrible English accent.

"Mr Abrams? Are you completely insane? I'd almost rather let the world end than humiliate myself by..."

The robot killer spun on the spot, spotting the small figure of Lord Tubbington almost instantly.

"You! I shall enjoy destroying you...my brother."

Behind it Artie painfully and slowly dragged his useless body to where a small, innocuous looking canister sat beside a large glass fronted cryogenic chamber.  
>He carefully removed the lid of the canister as the demon robot reached out to grab the cat.<p>

"Hey Baby!" Artie shouted, in his best Austin Powers impersonation, "You act like you're a cold hearted bitch, but you need to chill sugar!"

He dropped the heart he had been carrying all this time into the canister and then picked up the gigantic thermos flask and held it before him.

"I've had years to get used to being helpless, you worthless piece of bad imagination."  
>Artie was fuming even more than the contents of the canister.<p>

"What? How?" The Terminatrix/Wizard was confused.

"Lord T gave me the idea. We knew my mind was no match for yours one on one, but I did have enough power to tweak reality just enough if you were so convinced you were winning that you let your guard down...and baby, you let your guard down."

The bubbling from inside the container he was still holding between them was slowly subsiding.

The Fae creature lashed out with one arm and dashed the container to the ground.  
>As it fell it spun in mid air and the glittering, and now crystalline heart fell with it.<p>

"First mistake was being so over confident as to set up the conditions which allowed you to be killed." Artie said, as the shining heart fell towards the concrete in seeming slow motion.

"Second was thinking that losing my legs would break me. It didn't the first time and it won't this time either."

The creature watched in confusion as its heart fell through the air.

"And your final mistake was thinking that my obsession with a corny comedy movie series meant I didn't have a plan to whup yo ass!"

Artie half grinned and half grimaced as the remainder of the contents of the flask he had been holding spotted his skin and clothes. Ice crystals formed instantly as did small patches of frostbite.

"Liquid Nitrogen is the substance of choice for all us groovy detectives who need to be put on ice until the rest of the world is in need of our coolness again, Baby!"

The frozen heart hit the floor and shattered into a million pieces.  
>Less than a second later, the Unseelie Lady was dead.<p>

"Lord T, I want to go home now." Artie's voice was soft as he dragged his broken and injured body closer to the exit.

The cat bowed deeply to him, and followed silently.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Rachel was running out of songs.

Singlehandedly, for almost half an hour, she had kept off several dozen of the foul Sidhe creatures who still writhed in agony at the force of her feeling as she sang love song after lover song.

Behind her, several hundred audience members and injured secret service agents lay bleeding and exhausted.  
>Dave's healing powers were almost stretched beyond their limits by now.<p>

Rachel sang the last notes of 'Love Changes Everything' with such force and conviction that more than half of the psychic vampires threatening the wounded were actually blasted from existence.

She paused to draw breath, and to try to find another song to use...she had discovered early on that she couldn't repeat. Repeating a song just didn't work.

Her throat was raw, her voice was failing.

Rachel felt despair filling her mind.

She was going to fail.  
>She was going to die.<p>

Even as Rachel opened her mouth to sing one last defiant song of love, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and heard a familiar voice begin to sing.

_Such a feeling's coming over me  
>There is wonder in most everything I see...<em>

Rachel joined Finn in singing the cheesiest of cheesy love songs.  
>Her heart felt filled with love as her boyfriend smiled his lopsided grin at her and she saw in her peripheral vision, several more of the Ban-Sidhe shake and dissolve as the waves of positive emotion washed over them.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The screen at the back of the stage flickered with silver sparks and the three cyber warriors were back where they had begun.

Chaos reigned around them.

Tina sat to one side, her arm blown completely off by what looked like the effect of several soft-nose bullets. Mike sat beside her, protecting her from what looked like insubstantial vampires.

President Obama, covered in blood and with still healing scars upon his face, was grimly wrapping the lining of his suit around the remains of Tina's left arm as a makeshift tourniquet.

Steffi knelt on Tina's other side, trying to remove splinters of glass from Mike's back.

Kurt sat slightly apart from them, cradling Hope in his arms and looking exhausted as he struggled to hold a glamour of confusion over the stage.  
>Beside him, Blaine's bleeding and dying body was already beginning the glow that indicated regeneration.<p>

The screen Sam, Artie and Mercedes had just stepped through changed to show Central Park.

Casualties lay everywhere, but the forces from Lima seemed to be just holding their own, for now.

Mercedes looked out into the auditorium and spotted Rachel, standing alone before a huge group of the ghosts, Finn lying unconscious or dead at her feet and several hundred injured people crying softly behind her.

As she watched she saw Rachel falter, clutching her bleeding throat and the ghosts began to move in for the kill.

Quinn looked up from where she was trying to help Sister Prejean, who had been struck by a falling light.  
>Steffi looked up and, seeing Artie, ran towards him.<p>

"Steffi! Look out!" Quinn screamed.

Artie saw the rigging beam falling towards the stage too.

Using the muscles of his back and shoulders he threw himself out of his chair and knocked Steffi backwards.  
>The metal beam pinned his thighs to the stage.<br>For a second, Artie could still feel the sensation of pain down there as he had in the computer world.

Ban-Sidhe moved forward, taking control of several of the secret service agents, who lifted their guns to fire at the President.

Kurt looked up, eyes blazing.  
>"...no!"<p>

Quinn frowned.  
>From where she stood, the gunmen were aiming at the wrong target.<br>They weren't aiming for the President, they were aiming for...

"Kurt! Burt! Look out, they're aiming for you Mr Hummel!"

Quinn's cry came too late, as several bullets struck Burt Hummel, even as the man was trying to interpose his body between the target he had assumed the gunmen were after.

Burt looked into his son's eyes and died.

Kurt felt time stop.  
>He felt his heart break.<p>

He felt...despair.

"No..." Dave lay on the rubble of the stage, his wings bloodied and broken. Jeff lay against him, also pale and obviously near total exhaustion.

The two boys looked into each other's eyes, and mouthed 'goodbye' to each other, before joining hands and reaching the tattered remains of their magic out towards Kurt.

_._

_Our gift to you... Kurt...take our lives...make things right...again..._

.

Kurt felt the connection to the world's love touch him directly for the first time.  
>He knew he had one chance to do...something, but who to save?<p>

Kurt closed his eyes for a split second, and in that moment he felt a small movement against his chest.

Looking down he saw Hope, young and fragile and helpless, crying.  
>She was so frightened and lost and lonely...<p>

Kurt chose who to save.

In Central Park, all fighting ceased, and on the large screens, everyone watched as Kurt's beautiful eyes burned with tears.  
>People watching TV or listening to radio around the world found themselves listening to the soft, achingly sad voice of Kurt Hummel as Roberta overrode all protocols and linked up every electronic device on the planet the same way the 'Web of Love' had linked every person.<p>

"Goodbye Daddy...I...I love you."

Kurt began to sing to the tiny baby he held in his arms.

At first it was nonsense words, hardly even a tune, then he recognised the song his subconscious mind had chosen and he smiled.

_bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum  
>bum bum bum bum bum bum<br>bum bum bum bum bum bum_

_This is my winter song to you._  
><em>The storm is coming soon,<em>  
><em>it rolls in from the sea<em>

In his arms, the tiny figure of Hope stilled, looking up at him with eyes the same colour as his.  
>The Ban-Sidhe couldn't move.<p>

Around the theatre, people sat up and listened, feeling the tug from the connection Jeff and Dave had gifted to Kurt and Blaine.  
>Rachel gasped as Finn slowly rose to stand beside her.<p>

_My voice; a beacon in the night.  
>My words will be your light,<br>to carry you to me._

_Is love alive?_  
><em>Is love alive?<em>  
><em>Is love<em>

Blaine's honey tones took over the song as he wrapped his arm around Kurt and sang out all his pain and longing to everyone who was listening...little knowing that that was...everyone.

**They say that things just cannot grow  
>beneath the winter snow,<br>or so I have been told.**

**They say were buried far,**  
><strong>just like a distant star<strong>  
><strong>I simply cannot hold.<strong>

Kurt and Blaine joined their voices in harmony, singing their love to each other into the web that surrounded them.

_Is love alive?__**  
><strong>_**Is love alive?**_**  
>Is love alive?<br>**_

_This is my winter song.  
>December never felt so wrong,<br>cause you're not where you belong;  
>inside my arms.<br>_

In Central Park Sue looked up from where she was cleaning her sword on the grass and smiled.  
>Rachel felt Finn slip his arm around her as he leaned into her strength.<br>The Berry's finally landed, their glow almost gone and simply stood beside an exhausted Azimio as they listened to the music.

_**bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum  
>bum bum bum bum bum bum<br>bum bum bum bum bum bum**_

**I still believe in summer days.  
>The seasons always change<br>and life will find a way.**

_Ill be your harvester of light  
>and send it out tonight<br>so we can start again._

_**Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?  
><strong>_

Rachel, despite her aching throat (she could taste blood still), had to fight a desire to sing along.  
>Kurt smiled at his beloved and sang the next line to him directly.<p>

_This is my winter song.  
>December never felt so wrong,<br>cause you're not where you belong;  
>inside my arms.<br>_

The boys slipped into an embrace, the tiny figure of Hope held safely between them as their voices blended to become one.

_**This is my winter song to you.  
>The storm is coming soon<br>it rolls in from the sea.  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>My love a beacon in the night.<br>My words will be your light  
>to carry you to me.<strong>_

As the boys sang the final chorus, Rachel gave in and sang along, softly, her voice broken and barely tuneful.  
>Around the room, the rest of New Directions joined in, then John and Elaine Anderson, and Sister Prejean.<p>

Carole sat beside the broken body of her husband, and as tears streamed from her heart, she sang too.

_**Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?**_

The audience inside Radio City began to sing along.  
>Soon thousands of voices were raised in song for little Hope, and the Ban-Sidhe dissolved before their combined power like morning mist.<p>

_**Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<strong>_

In Central Park, Gaga, Emma and the Warblers led the million or so present as they joined the harmony.

_**Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<strong>_

Around the world, through the link each person felt to every other person, people sang.  
>They sang in support of love, in defiance of the dark.<br>They sang for each other.

_**Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<br>Is love alive?  
>Is love alive?<strong>_

The web was thrumming with power, the entire planet united, just for a moment in love.  
>It was felt by everyone, everywhere.<p>

Rachel sniffed, and Finn reached into his pocket for a tissue for her.  
>He felt the cold metal of his gold wish coin.<br>He still hadn't made a wish.

He held the coin tightly as the song reached its peak and wished with his whole heart.

"I wish...I really don't understand any of this...but I wish that...I wish Kurt and Blaine could keep us safe. I wish that love was in charge of this whole Faerie thing and that we could all be safe...and well...and happy...all of us...the whole world...um...please?"

The coin disappeared.

.

The world...changed.

.

.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Supplementary AN: The song is "Winter's Song" by Sara Bareilles (and Ingrid Michaelson), try this suggestion (remove spaces) for a good version of it, and listen as you read.**

**http :/ www. youtube. com / watch ?v= E7B9PrfNkAM**


	52. Ariadne's Gift

**A/N: Hello again – and so soon!**  
><strong>I felt so bad about the monstrous cliff hanger I left you all with, so when I suddenly found myself waking up FOUR FREAKING HOURS EARLIER than I needed to with a burning NEED to write, I...I just went with it.<strong>

**I hope this short little chapter tides you over until I can persuade the bunnies to give me some sugar (or alternately, some prose).**  
><strong>The quotation Nick makes is from my favourite playwright, guess who (and which play it is from!)<strong>

**Still lots of unanswered questions, threads to tie, stuff to learn etc. (Oh, bonus points to those who can identify the name in this chapter's title and its signifigance to the story - WITHOUT resorting to Google!)**

**Reviews are always special, and sometimes after a big, scary, draining chapter, I really need them to make me feel that the pain was worth it.**

_**DISCLAIMER: Not a writer or owner of Glee or its copyrights etc. Plus, I'm running out of tissues so I need to stop with the angst already! Sheesh!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

The theatre was silent, but for the soft sobbing coming from the injured.

.

Kurt sat, still holding little Hope, in the centre of the stage, beside his father's body, his free arm was around Carole's shoulders as she cried silent tears.

He looked across the stage to where Dave and Jeff lay, half sitting, propped up against each other and some fallen lights, their bodies and limbs entwined.

They were so still.

Dave's wings were grey, torn, broken and grimy.  
>Blood covered his face and body.<br>His dull, unseeing eyes had been closed by the Dali Lama who still sat beside the pair, his smile, for once, not hovering about his lips.

Jeff looked...he just so damned young. His sweet face was peaceful, although the tracks of tears were still visible in the pale skin.

.

Pang and the others arrived.  
>They didn't speak, they simply stood and witnessed.<p>

.

"Why?" Kurt finally asked, his beautiful voice cracking.

Quinn climbed the stairs back onto the stage and took Hope from him, walking over to where Steffi sat, holding Artie's hand as he lay trapped beneath the huge metal beam that had fallen from the flies.

Kurt felt Blaine's strong chest press against his back and he relaxed ever so slightly into the touch.

"Why?" He repeated.

Finn was carrying Rachel up onto the stage.  
>"Guys...Rachel...she's hurt...her voice...she's bleeding and when I looked into her throat...there's a flap where...I think she's torn a vocal chord."<p>

Kurt looked up at his brother and his friend and, despite his own pain, his eyes swam with fresh tears.

"Oh...Rachel. You saved us all you know...oh Rachel...your voice..."

Hiram and Leroy took Rachel from Finn as the girl began to cry...

Silently

.

Finn looked down at his mother and Burt and tears also began to fall from his eyes.

"It's not fair." Mercedes was fighting back the tears.

"It isn't fair." Santana echoed as she and Brittany made space for the Berrys to sit beside them.

The Latina reached her hand out and grasped Rachel's hand, squeezing it gently in sympathy.

"Oh Kurt...Carole...Oh my..." Tina, despite her horrific injuries, had thoughts only for her friends.

"I wish..."Kurt bit his lip and frowned as he spoke. 'I...it's unfair Blaine. I...I'm immortal, and so are you...but...we can't give life to these people who just...Dave and Jeff...Blaine, they knew it would kill them. They knew it was going to kill them, but they did it anyway...to save the world. But they didn't even know what I would do. They just hoped and gave and my Dad..."

Kurt had to fight to get his words out through his tears.

"...he saw the guns Blaine, and he knew that if he dodged them, it would kill the President, so he didn't dodge them...Blaine...he knew he was going to die and he looked at me and..."

Kurt's whole body was sobbing now.  
>Everyone in the room felt his pain.<p>

.

"Kurt...you need to let it go, the web...Kurt, you're going to drag us all down with you if you don't let it go."

Sue Sylvester was kneeling beside him, her hand tentatively, but gently trying to sooth his tears away.

"What? What are you..." Kurt's eyes widened as he realised what she was talking about. Now he thought about it, he could feel it...the web Jeff had gifted to him...the web that...

"We...I healed Dave before...he died and I wished him to live, and he lived!"

"No Kurt..."Sue began "It won't work that way again. A life has been freely given here, that has to stand. They sacrificed their lives for all of us, and trying to bring them back would...it would negate what they did."

"It would un-save the world?" Blaine asked, but he already knew the answer.

"Then I'll give myself!" Kurt said, "It isn't fair that Dave and Jeff have to die to save us. It isn't fair that my Dad had to... I know he wouldn't want me to bring him back, but I can bring back Dave or ...or...how can I bring them both back? I only have one life to give them. But...I'm the Phoenix, doesn't that count for..."

His voice trailed away as Sue shook her head and for the first time in her life began to cry.  
>Crystals of ice, looking like tiny diamonds fell from her cheeks and tinkled as they hit the floor.<p>

.

"Take mine too then Kurt." Blaine said in his ear, but everyone heard him.

"Take mine." Puck said as he cradled a weeping Lauren in his arms. Lauren made a gesture that indicated she too was willing to die in their stead.

"I'm old and tired, "Sister Prejean said as she comforted Carole, "I'd gladly give my..."

"I'm older, take me instead." The Dali Lama said with his twinkling eyes, "I don't mind dying, I've done it a few times you know."

Kurt felt the web within him thrumming as each person offered to make the sacrifice in the place of Jeff and Dave.  
>No, seriously, the web inside him was...burning him.<p>

.

"What's happening?" Kurt gasped as his skin began to glow.

"The web is...what is it doing? How fascinating." Grandpa Pang had a look on his face like a child on Christmas morning.

"Not...not possible." Lord Tubbington blinked as he licked the blood from a complaining Meggle's fur and tried to stop Dog from howling in loss and pain at the death of his beloved Dave.

/**DAVE!**/_despair, loss, darkness_/**My life take**/_sadness at leaing Meggle_/**Dave Dave Dave**/

**/Take both of us, they shouldn't have to die/**

"If anyone is going to sacrifice themselves it should be me!" Lord Tubbington said, "I'm old and tired too, and I've failed so many times along the way...I..."

.

Kurt was shaking now as he stood, Blaine helping him up, the glow still evident on his skin.

Lines of light began to appear, reaching out from Kurt's skin to travel across the stage to touch the others in the room.  
>Other lines were reaching from people on the stage and in the audience to touch Kurt.<br>Some were faint, some were thick and strong.  
>The line between Kurt and Blaine was a rope of brilliance, thicker than Coach Bieste's arms and brighter than the noonday sun.<p>

"It's the web, the web you created for Dave. It's visible!" Sue breathed in shock, as a thick strand of brilliance reached out from her heart to touch Kurt too.

The web was branching now, lines of light reaching out from each person to touch those they loved.  
>Some lines reached out through the walls to touch people in other cities, in other countries.<p>

Some reached to touch Faerie and into the computer and all the other universes.

.

::Kurt...I'm sorry, but I forgot to close the links. Everyone in the world is watching what should have been a private moment. I'm so...If I could, I would give you my life too::  
>Roberta's voice throbbed with emotion too.<p>

The web of light spread again, until Kurt could hardly bear the pain.

"What is happening?"

It was Quinn who gasped aloud as a crazy idea hit her.

"I think, "She said tentatively, "What if everyone in the world is trying to offer themselves as the sacrifice? I think..."

Sue nodded, "Smart girl Q! I wonder what that means though. It's...well, the whole web is already impossible, so why am I so shocked?"

.

A small star began to glow deep within Kurt's chest, where his heart lay, and, brightening and growing stronger by the second, it slowly rose from his trembling body until it shone, spinning above them all.  
>The web of light moved with it.<p>

It should have been impossible to look at, but somehow everyone found their eyes were able to cope with the brilliance.

For the space of several heart beats it flew above them, shining and magnificent and so, so bright.  
>Then it gradually glided through the air to come to a rest above the bodies of Dave and Jeff.<p>

.

The light descended, returning to its proper home.

They could still see the web that connected all of them, but it was fading from sight...slowly.

Jeff scrunched his eyes in a frown and noisily gasped for air.

Wrapped around his slender body, Dave's larger frame tightened its grip on the thing it loved as Dave's wings swept out white and wide and glowing with life.  
>Dave mumbled as he stirred.<br>"Snuffy?"

.

_I'm here Bird, oh I'm here!_

.

Dave opened his eyes.  
>Jeff did too.<p>

Everyone on stage gasped as they saw...stars floating in the velvety black sea of space.  
>For several heartbeats, as their eyes gradually returned to their normal appearance, both boys contained entire galaxies within them.<p>

"... and, when he shall die,  
>Take him and cut him out in little stars,<br>And he will make the face of heaven so fine  
>That all the world will be in love with night<br>And pay no worship to the garish sun."

Nick had tears streaming down his face as he made the quotation.  
>Quinn offered him a clean handkerchief, and a tiny smile.<p>

.

Unnoticed, Carole knelt beside Burt's body, staring at the two Angels as they cried and kissed and through her tears, she gave a little sigh.  
>She felt a hand take hers in a strong but loving grasp and her breath stopped as she recognised the scars and calluses and gnarled knuckles that were squeezing her hand so very gently.<p>

She looked down.

.

Carole smiled.


	53. The Journey of A Thousand Miles

**A/N: Ok, I admit it. I am a terrible person.  
>I could go on about life, work, stress, illness etc getting in the way of this story.<br>I could go on about how the last chapter I contributed **_**of It's Not What You Know It's Who You Know **_**(a collaboration with Windrider1967 – go check it out!) left me in a very dark and very lonely place that I had hoped I had left behind a long, long time ago. **

**I could tell you about this...boy I know, who has been looking after me (yes, in ALL the ways that word can mean) and working hard to distract me when days get too dark to even see the tunnel yet alone the light at the end. (57 text messages today alone – mostly 'Santana' level, trust me on this – he means business)**

**I could tell you about the friends who have lost loved ones (I love you Mardie!) and my friends who have met new loves (7lbs, 1ounce, her name is Victoria and she is 4 days old!)**

**I could tell you about how each time one of the stories I love to read on here was updated my heart got just that little bit lighter, and then I could tell you how I felt so guilty I couldn't touch the joy that this story springs from.**

**Well...It's not much, but it's a step.**

**The bunnies gifted me with this, and a little of what comes next, and I think...I THINK I might be ready to write it.  
>I just hope there is someone left out there to read it.<strong>

**Reviews as usual would make me feel forgiven and part of THIS web of love.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own silver jewellery, or a theatre, or the President, or a naked phone boy. (darn it all to heck!) (actually...that last one...)  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was still crying, talking, laughing and smiling at the same time.

.

Blaine sat silently beside him, his arm around Kurt's waist and his face pressed up against the slender, pale neck as he simply held his boyfriend close.

Kurt could feel their syncopated heartbeats slowly tuning in to the other, a rousing triple beat.  
>Their bodies wanted to sing to each other.<p>

.

A tiny rush of wind across the stage told everyone that Burt had returned from whatever urgent mission he had felt compelled to do.

Carole turned from where she stood beside the still sobbing Kurt and her smile echoed his as they both looked towards the part of the stage Burt had insisted on clearing away even as Kurt, Finn and Carole had tried to cling to him, as if trying to reassure themselves he was real.

President Obama looked up from where he was using Roberta to talk via Skype to the Joint Chiefs, while absent-mindedly rocking little Hope against his chest.

Quinn reached out and took the baby while Nick helped the President stand by offering him a solid arm.

Steffi continued to sit by Artie's head, talking to him softly while the rest of them pondered the safest and quickest way to release him from the beam that was trapping him.

"No rush, "Artie said with dead-pan humour, "I haven't really got anywhere to go, and it's not like I could be in any pain so help the others out first."

Wes was examining the situation carefully and working out where Azimio and Shannon Bieste would need to stand to lift the metal rigging in the safest way possible.  
>After Blaine, Wes seemed to have the most powerful mind for that sort of thing, and Blaine was busy helping his boyfriend stop crying.<p>

Santana had declared that that took priority.  
>"Kurt, you are a hot guy, but you cry real ugly."<p>

As President Obama used Nick's surprising strength to lever himself off the floor he realised where Burt Hummel had gone, and why.

"...Michelle..." He breathed as he rushed towards the three beautiful girls Burt had just brought from the other side of the country.

Kurt reached out with his Glamour and gave the Obama's a little privacy.  
>It was a little frightening just how little effort it took, his powers had grown.<p>

"Blaine...are you finding your powers are...?"

"Yes, I would have thought I'd be tired, or strained, but..."

Blaine smiled gently and reached a hand out towards an unopened bottle of water that lay next to Poppy's workstation.  
>It flew across the room and into his hand.<p>

"I don't even need to say anything now."

Kurt looked out across the auditorium where the police and the Secret Service were finally clearing the last of the audience out and making sure they all got home safely.

He laughed as the elderly couple from the restaurant blew him a kiss as they finished off helping the authorities deal with the injured.

Across the stage, in the slight privacy offered by the wings, Jeff and Dave were still kissing

.

_I don't want to lose you again Bird_

_I need to know if I can still do it Jeff, please_

.

Jeff frowned, but nodded slightly.

Dave closed his eyes and his wings swept out.  
>The injured in the auditorium gasped as they felt their wounds close, their broken bones heal.<p>

Dave hissed slightly, but the glow from Jeff's eyes washed whatever pain he was feeling away before it could even really form and he felt the love pouring into his soul like rain. The parched earth that was Dave felt the love wash over him, soaking in, deep and fulfilling, bringing life in its wake.

Rachel looked up from where she lay, cradled now in Finn's arms while her fathers each held a hand and Shelby Corcoran massaged her feet and kept up a distracting chatter.  
>She felt so safe, so surrounded by love.<p>

.

An Angel stood before her...it took her a second to realise who it was.

"Dave...can you...?" Finn didn't want to ask for fear of a negative answer, but he had to.

Rachel fought back more tears and turned her expressive eyes on Dave and Jeff.  
>Tears shimmered in their warm, brown depths, and her face seemed set in an expression which was hard to read.<br>It was as if she was trying to say something with just her eyes.

Dave reached out with his power. He could feel the sensation of her injured vocal chords hovering just at the very edge of his 'reach'. Closing his eyes he strained himself a little more.

He could almost...just a little further...he could touch...

He felt so cold...

Rachel slapped him, hard.

.

Dave and Jeff opened their eyes as they both felt the pain of her hand striking Dave's cheek.  
>They felt weak, and light headed.<p>

Rachel was frowning at them.  
>Her hands began to move in graceful, beautiful arcs and loops.<p>

"She's yelling at you." Sue Sylvester said quietly, "And I for one don't blame her. That was a stupid thing to do Feather-Nuts. You've just been dead for over eleven minutes, you want to start thinking about things before you just throw that gift away again."

"You can understand her?" Jeff asked quietly.

Sue nodded brusquely, "I can understand and speak every language there is, will be or ever was. It's like a supered up version of your usual Godmother language gifts. I can read them too. She's telling you to stop trying to heal her. She knows that the damage she did to herself is beyond your powers to repair. She says that modern throat surgery should be able to do something to at least give her a speaking voice back, of some description anyway, but risking your lives just to give her a chance to sing pretty Broadway..."

Sue stopped translating.  
>A single diamond crystal fell to the floor.<p>

Sue reached out and took one of Rachel's hands, stopping her in mid-rant and squeezing it tightly.

"Can you do anything?" Hiram Berry asked Sue, his face pale and drawn with grief.

"Wrong Queen, I am the controller, the ender of things. I am the one who works on the edge of life and death. This...this is out of my league. We'd need Titania, she was the Summer Queen."

"Summer Queen?" Leroy Berry echoed.

"I'm Winter. I am cold, harsh, all about struggle and power and endings."

"Atropos, the Cutter of threads." Lord Tubbington offered as he wearily sat at Rachel's side and allowed her fingers to fall silent in his fur.

"What the fur-ball said. Titania was the Summer Queen. She was the weaver, the one who guided the fates of all whose threads she held. She was all about growth and healing and kindness. God, she used to make me want to vomit rainbows."

"Won't we be able to find her? " Quinn asked as she brought Rachel a bottle of water, "Sorry, I can't find a cold one."

Sue glared at the bottle for a second or two and condensation began to bead its surface as small chips of ice began to float within it."

"Does this mean we can't help Tina either?" Dave said quietly, looking over to where an exhausted Dr Lopez was making the girl comfortable.  
>As comfortable as she could be with her right arm shot off.<p>

Sue smiled slightly.  
>"I think I can offer a solution there at least."<p>

Lord Tubbington looked up, "Nuada?"

Sue nodded. "I'll need to talk to the computer slut, and the naked phones."

Lord Tubbington began to chuckle.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Tina held her arms out to Mike and embraced him.

Her arms.

She looked at her left arm, the warm ivory skin with the familiar freckles, the small scar from where she had fallen off her bike on her tenth birthday...

She looked at her right arm.

Silver, metallic skin gleamed beneath the remaining stage lighting as she flexed and twisted it.

She could feel it.

It was her arm.

She could feel the fabric of Mike's shirt against her...skin...the warmth of his body.

She could feel the strength held within the metal structure of her arm.

When Sue and Roberta had broached the subject, Tina had been sceptical.  
>An artificial arm, constructed from the scraps of metal lying about the stage, together with sterling silver jewellery donated by Patti LuPone herself.<p>

Apparently the silver skin was 'traditional'.

Roberta, Bramley and Ben-Davis had used their own powers to create a lifelike arm, while Dave and Jeff had helped 'fit' it to her injured shoulder.

"It's going to gradually grow and change, "Sue said, "That's what happened last time. Gradually the metal will become part of your body, and the arm will become more and more flesh-like. It will always be a little different though. The last person who wore a similar arm wound up getting it replaced with a real one eventually, but only because he had to, to qualify to become King again. He spent a very long time thinking it over before he finally said yes. It turned out he had gotten used to his silver hand."

"It had grown on him so to speak?" Tina said with a sardonic lift of her eyebrow.

Suddenly those Warblers who hadn't really gotten to know the quirky girl understood just why she and Kurt were such good friends.

"Hey look! I can make it do stuff!" Tina said.

The liquid silver of the arm became less shiny, as patterns of swirling Chinese script swept across it. "I can make patterns!"

"Oh thank Gaga, "Kurt said, "I've been agonising over ways to accessorise something as obvious as a silver arm. I was thinking of trying asymmetric sleeves."

"You could also wear leg warmers on your arms." Brittany piped up, "I did that once. It was hot. I mean, I looked hot, and I was cool, but my arms were warm, because it was winter so it was cold. People told me it was a hot look, but if it was hot, why did someone also tell me it was cool? And then Rachel got boiling mad and Santana said she was trying to freeze me out, but how does that make sense?"

Everyone sat still for a few seconds as they tried to work through that one.

Tina set her patterns to a nice simple design of entwined roses and skulls and smiled up at everyone.

"Anyway, enough about me, we need to help Artie, " Tina said as she took Mike's hand and led the group over to where Steffi still sat on the floor holding Artie's hand.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"We have a problem." Poppy said as she and Dr Lopez stood from where they had been examining the area where Artie was pinned by the beams.

"Artie has been lying under a lot of pressure for too long, "Dr Lopez said quietly, "If he had feeling in his legs he'd have been screaming in agony long ago. As it is, we let ourselves think that just because he wasn't in pain, it meant he wasn't in danger. The toxins will have built to dangerous levels by now. When we move that beam, they are going to flood his system. Coupled with all the possible damage to his blood vessels and nerves that the pressure may be masking...well, it doesn't look promising. If we lift it you're probably going to go into arrest Artie, and could start bleeding out."

"Can't Dave keep him...?" Steffi asked quietly.

"Dave probably could, but he'd also probably die...again." Sue said bluntly.

"I'm willing to try." Dave said quietly, Jeff stood close to him and nodded.

"It's a pity you can't regenerate like Blaine can." Jeff said to Artie.

"Or be reborn like Kurt." Nick added.

"Kurt could regenerate if he wanted to, "Brittany said as she examined a rainbow that a piece of broken glass was throwing on the floor, "He and Blaine share everything you know."

Quinn had a thought at that.

"I wonder if that would work?" She mused.

"Not in this world." Sue Sylvester dismissed her hope with a gruff answer.

Quinn refused to give in that easily.  
>She thought hard.<p>

She smiled.

"Who says it needs to happen in this world?"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

A few minutes later they were organised.

Blaine, Kurt, Jeff and Dave were gathered around the frail figure pinned beneath the beam.  
>Tina and Mike stood beside them, with Azimio and Coach Bieste in position at the ends of the beam.<p>

The silver screen on the back wall flared into life again and everyone could see the images of Bramley and Ben-Davis standing beside that of Roberta.

:: I hope this works Quinn, and if it does, I just want to say that you have to be the best network builder I have ever met, and I know Facebook personally!::

The phone spirits waved shyly and President Obama's daughters giggled.

"Are you sure that's your phone Kurt? I mean, I can understand someone not being as obsessed by them as you are, but surely something that's associated itself with you so long and so closely would have at least a vague understanding of the concept of 'clothing'?" David giggled as Wes made the remark.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't make that dig Wesley." Kurt said with a frigid air.

"That's very big of you Kurt." Wes said dryly.

"If those phones are even anywhere near to realistic then that's not the only thing that's...ow!" Puck rubbed the back of his head as Lauren shook her finger at him.

Santana grinned at them.  
>"And who was it that said Hobbits were small? I think I know a hobbit who has the biggest..."<p>

She stopped talking as Rachel raised her hands to berate her silently.

"...I think I know a hobbit who has the biggest heart in the world." Santana finished her sentence and her mouth twisted as she looked at Rachel. "If I could give you my voice I would, Berry. Although you'd never be able to get the sexy rasp part of it working as well as I can."

"Are you ready?" Quinn said, "I'm sure this will work."

"Could we get started this century please?" Sue drawled.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at the Winter Queen and stared her down.

.

Roberta, Bramley and Ben-Davis began the process of drawing the assembled group into the computer world, but stopped at the moment of transfer.

:: Please hurry, this is harder than I thought it would be::

Quinn looked at Tina. "Ok Tina, use your telepathy and touch Artie's mind, Steffi, you do the same."

The two girls closed their eyes and concentrated.

"I'm on it." Jeff said as he tapped into Artie's emotions too.

"I'm with him."  
>"She's with me."<p>

Tina and Artie's voices were in perfect synch.

"Tina, I'm ready, reach for me now." Kurt was holding on to Blaine tightly.

Tina and Artie nodded as one.

"Artie...I can feel you too!" Mike said, smiling, "Here, take some of my strength, you need it man."

Artie's colour began to improve.

"I can't quite..." Kurt whispered.

Jeff's eyes flashed a deeper silver and they were linked.

.

"How long can you keep this up Blondie?" Sue asked.

"Long enough, if the group is small and all the old people stop talking."Jeff snapped back.

Sue smiled to herself as yet another of the young people proved they weren't in awe of her.

"We're together Quinn, what now?"  
>Blaine, Tina, Kurt, Steffi, Mike and Artie all spoke at the same time.<p>

Dave closed his eyes and let his wings free.

Quinn looked at the two large figures at either end of the beam.  
>"Lift now!"<p>

The group gathered on the stage gasped as one, and Artie began to choke.

.

_...Here Artie, Dave, this is how I regenerate. For this space, for this time, in this place between the worlds, you can do it too..._

_...Blaine is right Artie, Dave, here is how I remake myself each time I die, learn from me..._

_...I'm taking your pain Artie, I'm taking your hurts, just keep breathing..._

_...Here Artie, touch the web I hold inside me, let the love give you life too..._

.

The web flared into visibility again around them.

The connection between Kurt and Blaine was as blinding as ever, but equal to that between Jeff and Dave.

Dave and Kurt were connected by an identical bond of love.

.

_Kurt...I...finally I can understand. You really do forgive me_

_Shut up bird brain and focus, of course I love you_

_Was that you Kurt? Or Jeff?_

_Does it matter...?_

.

Artie and Dave fought to share the terrible injuries as a cloud of silver sparks and brilliant flames washed over all of them.

Three things happened at once.

.

Artie gasped as he felt all of his injuries leave his body.

Roberta shouted as the bubble she and the boys had created burst.

Dave screamed as he collapsed to the floor, taking Jeff with him.

.

Dave and Jeff erupted in a fountain of flames and silver sparks which washed over everyone on the stage.

.

Everyone stayed very still, except Shannon Bieste and Azimio, who carefully lowered the beam they had just finished lifting to the floor safely.

The flames faded, revealing the forms of Jeff and Dave, sitting on the floor, kissing.

They were naked.

"Here we go!" Carole said brightly as she conjured some robes from the upholstery of the first two rows of seats.  
>Her powers may have sounded trivial, but they were amazingly useful and flexible.<br>...And fast.

Everyone took an inventory of themselves and their loved ones.

.

"Ouch! "Artie said softly, "that was intense."

"Can we never, ever do that again please. " Steffi whispered beside him.

"Steffi, could you shift a little to the left, you're..."

Artie stopped speaking and went pale again.

"What's wrong?" Dr Lopez said as she rushed to his side.

"She's kneeling on my left leg, "Artie whispered, "please tell me she's kneeling on my left leg."

Everyone looked down.

Steffi had crawled almost on top of Artie and her knee was indeed pressed against his left calf, slightly squashing him.

"Accio Shoes" Blaine said, "oh, and socks." and Artie's feet were revealed.

There was total silence as Artie frowned and looked at his feet.

His toes curled, then flexed back.  
>His left foot wiggled in a circle, then his right.<p>

Artie began to cry softly.

.

"Well, that was interesting." Rachel said as she smiled down at them, "And the side effects seem...manageable at least."


	54. Cogito Ergo Sum

**A/N: Hello all, only slightly slower updating than normal – I'm improving.**

**Infinite thanks to my net angels Mardie and Windrider (go check up windrider1967's latest fic, it's naughty but nice!)  
>Ok, I hope this chapter meets with approval (and hopefully LOTS of reviews etc) – It's going to seem like a lot of talking, but I figure people need a chance to go back over things, sort out their thoughts and revisit some key plot points. That's certainly what the characters are doing.<br>Ok, it might SEEM like not much happens, but it's going on there, don't you worry.**

**Apologies if the formatting is tricky or the spelling and typing is bad – it's late, I'm not sleeping a lot, cut me some slack please.**

**Slight language in this chapter, esp at the end, but it's a word that is REALLY needed by the person saying it, and really needed to be used then and there, so cut her some slack too please. (ok?)**

**Just when I thought I was all happy and stable again, Glee goes and pulls a "cough syrup" on me, I loved it, and the story and the acting and (mmm, Max , yum) but it did shake me a little. Let's just say, you could tell they'd done their research thoroughly**

_**DISCLAIMER: I play in the universe, I don't own or even rent it**_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>

.

.

The decision to return to the Trump Towers had been easily made and unanimously endorsed.

.

A short but intense conversation between Sue Sylvester and President Obama had resulted in the President declining the offer of coming with the group and instead electing to return to Washington with his family that night.

No doubt there would be a great many reports waiting for him on his desk when he got back.

Everyone else asked had also refused, and so it was only the members of the cast and their families who were returned by Burt to the rooftop terrace.

It had taken them nearly ten minutes to coax Grandpa Pang out of the ladies' dress circle bathroom at Radio City.  
>"They have marble! And gold taps! And the water is extra swirly!"<p>

The children among them had finally gone to bed, along with many of the parents and friends.

Stevie and Stacey Evans had been badly frightened by the night, and refused to be parted from their 'Guardian Badass' , as Stevie called him (despite his mother gently scolding him for bad language), so Azimio Adams had temporarily moved into their room so they could sleep without bad dreams.

Now the remaining travellers from Lima, with clothing still burnt, and stained with blood, feathers and broken glass, sat or stood around the conference table and wondered what had actually happened.

"Did we...did we just survive the end of the world?" Beau asked, several of his dreadlocks missing, either burnt by flaming undead crows or torn out by the kobolds he had fought in Central Park.

"I don't think we can really classify it as the end of the world if the world is still here." Quinn sighed wearily.

"The world ended." Sue said simply, "But it didn't stop. I don't really know how to cope with that."

Everyone looked at the woman, who had been revealed as the Queen of Winter, one of the most powerful beings ever to have existed.

"Wasn't that your plan though, to survive the end of the world, to stop it from happening?" Lauren asked, her face still bearing faint scars despite the healing powers of Dave and Jeff.

"It might have been. Not my plan, remember?" Sue answered, "I have no idea what Titania's plan was, or how it was meant to go. She wouldn't tell me. We were sisters, we were together for millennia, but she didn't tell me, wouldn't tell me, what she expected to happen. All she said was, I would understand afterwards, if she was lucky, and that she loved...she...she..."

Sue began to cry again, her frozen tears tinkling as they sparkled across the conference table.

"Let's just start with the present shall we! "Elaine Anderson smiled as she drew everyone's attention, "Quinn, I think we would all love to thank you for your brilliant plan to combine the powers of our healers and rescue Artie. I'm sure not even you expected it to work as well as it did though. What I want to know is, how exactly did we manage to cure Rachel's voice at the same time? I mean, no slight intended Rachel, but at that exact moment none of us were really even thinking about you, we were concentrating on Artie."

Finn raised his hand uncertainly. (It wasn't a natural movement for him. He never did it in class at any rate.)  
>"Um... Mrs Anderson, I was thinking about Rachel."<p>

Rachel smiled softly and Leroy Berry felt her tremble slightly as he continued to hold her in his lap like he had when she was little.

"So were we." His husband said softly, making Leroy look into his eyes as Hiram spoke.

"I was kinda facing Rachel as I lifted that beam, "Coach Bieste said softly, "And I do remember thinking how it was so unfair that all the sweet little punkins had to suffer while big old ugly me got off with just a little bite from a sticky horse or two."

Coach Bieste had found a pair of the river horses trying to lure children into the lake in the park during the chaos. She had not responded well to their intentions.

"I was thinking about Rachel too, "Quinn whispered, "I remember thinking 'I wonder if this would work to restore her voice?' as I was praying for Artie to be alright."

"It didn't matter if you were thinking of her or not, "Sue said as she sipped a cup of hot tea Pang had made for her, "I want to know what caused the overspill, and what meant that that crazy plan of Q's could actually work in the first place. Everything I know about magic, and I know everything, says it shouldn't have worked. I don't like it when I things aren't obeying the rules."

"You will get used to it, " Lord Tubbington drawled from where Brittany and Santana were taking turns to brush particles of broken glass from his fur, "Since I met Mr Hummel and Mr Anderson, nothing has really behaved the way it should."

"We still need to find the second queen." Trent blurted out. He was using his fire powers to toast a handful of marshmallows that Flint was levitating above their plate. "Um...don't we?"

"Yeah, "Puck said, "I thought we were meant to find the queen before we could save the world."

Nobody seemed eager to speak after that.

.

"We need to check the prophecies again, don't we." john Anderson sighed.

"Here." Blaine said as he held out his hand.  
>Everyone blinked a little as the wooden box containing the prophecies materialised in his hand.<p>

Blaine shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Yeah, my powers kind of got...more...more..."

"...freakazoidal?" Tina said dryly.

"Says the cyborg." Lauren teased.

Tina simply raised her silver hand and 'flipped her the bird', as she did so, her extended finger transformed briefly into a razor sharp stiletto.

"Whoa, awesome!" whispered several of the Warblers.

"Let's open the damned box then, "Dr Lopez sighed, "Desperate as I am for bed, I don't think any of us would be able to drop off to sleep until we have at least a basic handle on things."

"Some of us can." Paul Karofsky whispered as he pointed under the table which stood on one side of the room.  
>Dog lay curled up, once again in canine form, wrapped protectively around the tiny ball of fur that was Miss Meggle.<p>

"They aren't human you see, "Lord Tubbington murmured softly, "And their innocence means that they can just trust that we will sort the big things out for them. I envy them sometimes."

"Plus, they are together, and safe, and in love." Emma Pillsbury smiled, "I think we discovered tonight that love is a powerful armour against the darkness."

.

.

Over the next hour or so the two groups related their various stories, while Quinn and Elaine Anderson, as the fastest writers, took notes.

The revelation of Stevie and Stacey Evans's wishes, and their results caused Blaine, Jeff and several of the warblers to cheer softly with excitement. (A real life Hogwarts Wizard! Yes!)

Finally the group from the theatre were retelling the events that had led up to Rachel's collapse and Kurt's singing.

.

"So you had the strength to just keep focused, and when little Hope started to cry, your instinct was to comfort her?" Emma asked, admiration clear in her voice.

"I couldn't..."Kurt had to swallow hard to restrain his tears, "I couldn't save my dad, I saw Rachel collapse, clutching her throat and those vampire creatures moving in to kill her or possess her. I knew I couldn't save Finn, I'd already seen him fall. I could feel Blaine trying to regenerate from where he had taken terrible damage from those gremlin things and then Hope began to cry and I just..."

Everyone sat silently as Kurt fought against more tears.

"...She was so small, so innocent. Babies deserve nothing but love, and comfort, so I sang the first song that popped into my head. I just sang it to her, for her, and just channelled all the love I had in me into it."

Sue was nodding, as was Lord Tubbington.

"That'd do it I suppose." She muttered.

"Mr Hummel, when you pushed your love into the song, you weren't just pushing your own feelings in. You and Mr Anderson are connected by an unbreakable, and may I add, unbelievably strong bond of love. It's what has made your wishes and other magic so powerful. You were also the person who instigated the 'web of love' to heal Mr Karofsky, and although the focus of the web moved to Mr Sterling when he and David finally reached the point of acknowledging their feeling for each other, you were...you are still connected to it."

"We all saw the bond between the four of you, "David said as Wes stroked his hand up and down his leg, "Does this mean we need to plan a four way wedding?"

"We'll need to see if the hotel has a bigger bed too!" Puck smiled, and ducked to avoid the swinging slap Lauren directed to his head.

Blaine was laughing.  
>"Guys, we were all connected for those few seconds, and we all know how we feel about each other."<p>

Jeff nodded.  
>"The visible bond measures how much feeling there is between the two people, but not how they manifest that feeling. Here, look, I think I can do this more selectively now I've rested a little"<p>

.

Jeff concentrated and the bond between him and Dave became visible again, but faintly, as if seen through a veil of mist.  
>He pursed his lips and the bond between Dave and Kurt also manifested.<p>

Concentrating his gaze on Kurt, Jeff made the bond between Kurt and Blaine also visible.

"Harder than I thought! " Jeff muttered through clenched teeth.

Kurt became the central point of the lines of light.  
>A bond of equal strength appeared between him and his father, and lines almost as strong sprang up between Kurt and Rachel, Finn, Mercedes, Carole... the light, faint though it was, was blinding.<p>

Jeff let out a sigh and the web faded into invisibility again.

"That's just Kurt, were all connected like that, all of us, I can see it. Some of the connections are stronger than others, but we're all part of each other now."

"The web has become self sustaining!" Lord Tubbington exclaimed, "All this time I thought it was the unusual strength found in Kurt and Blaine...but now...how?"

"Kurt was singing to the baby, and Dave and I felt our lives slipping away. We knew we couldn't sustain the healing any longer, so we took everything we had in us and Dave pushed it into Kurt. He's always been fond of you Kurt, if he hadn't met me, and you hadn't found the hobbit, who knows..." Jeff smiled at Kurt to show he wasn't jealous, "Anyway, I felt the web move from inside me and into Kurt, then we..."

"Then you died." Santana said simply.

"So Kurt became the focus of the web, and he focused on Hope...which means..." Rachel was on to something.

"My baby is not your stupid Queen." Steffi glared at everyone.

"No, she might be Steffi, or perhaps not. We need to figure this out." Artie calmed the Goth girl with a simple touch.

"Let's go through each of the prophecies and see if we spot anything with new eyes. Remember, Lord Tubbington told us that prophecy only really works when you look back." Quinn didn't seem very enthusiastic at the prospect of spending even more time wracking everyone's brains to try to see a pattern in seemingly random phrases and words. "I vote we just do it for another hour or so, and then everyone needs to go and rest. We can tackle this problem in the morning with clearer heads. Let's just make a start on it for now."

The prophecies were written on large pieces of paper again and Quinn was elected to choose each one randomly so that the assembled group could brainstorm it for a few minutes, Elaine making notes, before they moved to the next one.

.

_**The Elements combined shall call forth the...**_

"Hey, "said Jon, "That sounds like it comes from..."

"Captain Planet? We did that joke while you guys were rehearsing! "Steffi snorted.

"It's obvious that it's incomplete, and it's also the start of a sentence, maybe even a whole page. We'll never get this." Luke turned to his fellow Warblers but most of them had looks of steely determination in their eyes.

"Elements...Blaine! You said those Kobold things were earth creatures didn't you?" Nick was thinking hard.

"And the crows were obviously creatures of the air, "Blaine was smiling at his friend, "That's two elements."

"I bet those horse things are water." Burt grunted as Coach Bieste frowned at her own memories of the strange killers.

"But we haven't faced fire creatures...have we?" Kurt thought carefully as he spoke.

"What about the law offices Kurt? "Mercedes asked, "You were burnt up by the fire."

"But that was a bomb, not an elemental creature." Kurt sighed.

"That's right! " Santana said forcefully, "You were on fire, and the hoses and sprinklers were spraying water everywhere and..." She rose from her spot beside Brittany and looked through the collected prophecy sheets.

_**One shall feel the touch of terror  
>One shall taste the kiss of flame<br>Her mask of lies is torn asunder  
>When love sets fire to the rain<strong>_

"This one has to refer to that." The fiery Latina smiled at them, "It has too. Terror...terrorist attacks? Flames and rain? I still don't understand the mask though..."

"My mask perhaps? "Sue said, "After Prince DragoDorito got his scaly self caught on every no-life's camera in a forty block radius, my year...years of effort to hide the truth from the mouth breathers out there were ruined. I had to contact the White House personally to try to get it all hushed up again."

"I knew the President had prior knowledge! " Sam said, "How long have you been in contact with the White House Coach Sylvester?"

"It's not a coincidence I chose to work at William McKinley High you know, although I did have agents in their when old wooden-teeth was rebelling against those tea swilling, German ruled Irish bashing losers from Limeyland."

"You have to admit, she's good at being bad." Kurt muttered under his breath.

"It might also refer to Miss Pierce, "Lord Tubbington offered, "Remember, the memory block I tried to put on her failed just as the boys were...you know..."

"Being blown into tiny burning pieces?" Santana said.

"Let's move on to the next one shall we?" Quinn grabbed a random card and held it up.

_**...and thus the immortal's beloved  
>Two parts, two hearts, two lives, two wives<br>**_

"That has to be Blaine!" Trent said, "He's a Timelord! Two hearts, and Kurt is the Immortal, and they are almost sickeningly in love..."

"Two lives? How does that fit though? " Artie asked, "And wives? Two of them?"

"No way!" Blaine said, "One Hundred percent gay here, I don't want one wife, all I want is my husband, this husband. He's all I ever wanted and all I will ever need. So that ...what? Why are you all staring..."

Blaine suddenly realised what he had said.

"Honey...shh." Kurt smiled at the staring mob. He stared back, desperately hoping someone would change the subject.

"That's Burt!" Carole suddenly realised, "Two lives, two wives, the immortal's beloved..."

"Elizabeth? She was the Phoenix too wasn't she." Burt said.

Kurt silently thanked his stepmother, who winked back at him.

"But what does it mean?" Rachel asked plaintively, "We have to agree, it certainly sounds like Burt, but how is he involved?"

"I am sure it will all make sense once the prophecies are all fulfilled." Lord Tubbington said.

"Fat lot of good that does us now, " Lauren snapped at the cat.

"Please, no fighting, not after what we went through tonight." Emma Pillsbury asked softly.

Lauren nodded ruefully an offered a mumbled apology to the cat.  
>Lord Tubbington graciously accepted it.<p>

"I actually agree with you Miss Zizes, the usefulness of prophecy has always been as an aid to looking back rather than a source of precognitive assistance."

"What?" Finn asked sleepily.

"He means that a prophecy is best used to look back at an event and help decide if it was the pivotal event that was expected, or whether it was just a random thing." Wes explained.

"So we know that something is going down for real, and now, because Mr H is here, and...and now too. So these prophecy things aren't exactly useful then, are they?" Puck seemed less than impressed.

"Since we are missing part of it, it probably seems less useful or definitive than it might have been had we the whole thing." Lord Tubbington huffed, flashing a protective glance over to where Brittany was dancing with everyone's shadows on the wall.

"We knew something was going down because we found a Queen, or rather, she found us!" Flint smiled as he managed to work this out for himself.  
>Finn gave him a high-five and a pat on the back.<p>

"What was the prophecy about that Quinn?" Dr Lopez asked.

"There are so many, most of them mention a queen, or a king or..." Quinn reached for the closest card.

_**...her fortunes reversed  
>Yet the Queen will search for her crown, never knowing that...<strong>_

"No, not that one, I have no idea where that one might fit, the baseball one, "David leant closer into Wes's side as everyone glared at him in confusion, "You know, the one about first and second and..."

"Found it! "Quinn said with impeccable timing.

_**The second cannot find herself until the first is found, but the first will do the finding.  
>She will not speak until the deathless has died and the fire has been lit anew.<strong>_

"That's the one!" David exclaimed. "That has to refer to Kurt and Blaine."

"He is right." Pang offered from where he had been silently sitting beside Sue. "Kurt is the fire, and Blaine is deathless, even though he can die."

"And I, as always, am the first." Sue said with a cold grin. "I wasn't planning on ever speaking to you, not openly or plainly, but after everything hit the fan...well, it became apparent that things were moving to a head. I was so convinced it was the end...but, I was wrong, so I guess today has two miracles in..."

Her voice trailed away as a sudden thought shook the tall lean figure.

"What about this one?" said Elaine Anderson, reaching for one of the few remaining cards.

_**The Queen shall see the danger, but too late  
>But still, the messengers can save the King<br>**_

"The king...we have a king to find now too?" Puck said wearily.

"Where did Sue go?" asked Mercedes suddenly noticing that she could see all of Grandpa Pang as he sat beside...an empty chair.

"She does that." He said, wrinkling his already wrinkled nose, "Makes for interesting day."

"The Queen has to refer to Sue, "argued Trent who was still puzzling over the riddle, "She came and warned us about the danger, but it was too late to do anything she said, that must be what it means."

"But we did do something, and it wasn't too late." Jeff countered.

"Did you know that the word angel means 'messenger' in ancient Greek." Patricia offered from where she and Paul Karofsky had been sitting silently, watching the debate.

.  
>.<p>

"I found it, haven't needed to go to that storage unit for over thirty years, but it was still just like I left it, a disgusting unhygienic cess-pool of filth and good-old boy charm."

Sue was holding a dusty metal box and looking dubiously at the lock.  
>"Por...Kurt, do you think you could see if the trap I placed on this lock is still functional?"<p>

.  
>.<p>

"The Queen must refer to Sue, we don't have any other Queens around." Trent insisted.

"Where did she...how does she keep doing that?"Blaine asked his boyfriend who simply smiled and pecked his nose with his lips.

.  
>.<p>

Across the table, on the other side of the room the conversation about the prophecy was still continuing.  
>Those participating gave only a cursory look at the return of the winter queen.<p>

"What if it refers to the other queens? What if this prophecy is the way we can recognise the lost queen, what was her name again?" Steffi argued back.

"Titania" Nick and Quinn said simultaneously, they grinned at each other as their eyes met.

.  
>.<p>

Sue tossed the box onto the table, whereupon it made a strange clicking sound and a fusillade of darts shot from the front of it, their tips glistening with a virulent green liquid.

Tina, who was standing closest threw Mike Chang behind her and raised her silver arm as if to ward off the poisoned missiles.  
>The others in the room gasped as the silver skin of her arm seemed to flow like water across her body, encasing her in an invulnerable armour of shimmering metal.<p>

The darts fell from her skin, their tips bent and broken.

"Well, guess that works too." Sue drawled, reaching down to open the box.

.  
>.<p>

"That must be it!" Quinn gasped, "If the messenger is meant to refer to the Angels, who did they save who might be described as a king? Once we work that out, we just need to work backwards to see who it was who 'saw the danger, but too late' and we'll know who Titania is."

"They saved the President,"Wes said softly.

.  
>.<p>

"What the hell is in that Coach Sylvester?" Kurt asked simply.

"My prophecy, the last thing Titania gave to me before she disappeared. She made me promise to never read it, until the day I admitted I was wrong in front of a group of people whose opinions I actually valued. I thought she meant never, but then..."

"You have another prophecy?" Kurt screeched.

.  
>.<p>

"Really, Dave and Jeff saved all of us." Puck said quietly, only slightly distracted by Kurt's yell. He looked up and across the table. "What got the Princess in a tizz just now?"

"Princess? "Nick said, frowning at the implicit insult.

"It's ok man, Kurt knows I just call him that because I love him." Puck smiled confidently.

"Princess?" Quinn said, her face a whirl of thought and emotion.

.  
>.<p>

"Titania gave it to me. She said I should give it back to her when I found her again, she said that when I read it I would understand, and maybe one day forgive her, then she kissed me and left. I never saw her again."

"But we don't know who she is." Kurt said with an exasperated huff.

"I know, I suspected for a few days, but since the battle I know for certain." Said Sue.

.  
>.<p>

"The father of a Princess is...a King." Nick said in astonishment as he pieced the puzzle together.

"Burt was shot, but the Angels saved him." Steffi said.

"So whoever warned us that Burt was about to be shot is..."Quinn stood very still and stopped in mid sentence as she turned very pale.

.

"...Oh fuck...it's me."


	55. To Thine Own Self Be True

**A/N: Hi all, sorry for the hanger of Cliff – hopefully this will suffice to keep you happy.  
>Reviews as always are like water to a man crawling in the desert – always welcomed and usually make me cry (esp the long detailed ones)<br>Feel free to research anything mentioned in here on your own, who knows, you might find out some stuff (and probably spot me and my mistakes or errors too, sigh)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nada, I just love to play in this sandbox.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

Silence was the only active thing in the room for several seconds.

"Sorry mom, "Quinn said softly as Judy Fabray opened her mouth to admonish her daughter for swearing.

"Oh my...she's right. It has to be Quinn." Kurt was sitting open mouthed staring at his friend, who was now standing slightly away from the table, a look of fear and confusion on her pretty face.

"It can't be me, I'm not...I don't..." Quinn looked up and everyone saw the pain and puzzlement in her eyes. "I...I'd remember, wouldn't I? If I were...I have..."

She smiled as if she had suddenly found a way out of the maze.  
>"I have no powers. No magic at all. It can't be me."<p>

Sue Sylvester looked both more formidable and more vulnerable than she had ever looked before.

"It is you Q. I thought it might be. You reminded me so much of...well...you. Titania never had a lot of magic of her own, she was the weaver. She could use the powers of others. It made her both weaker and stronger than me. I am the place that all magic goes to when it dies, so my power is great. But T...she could use your own powers against you, or meld the powers of those around her into something new, something more than the sum of its parts."

"That's how you healed me and Artie. " Rachel said, her mind whirring as only the Berry mind could. "You wove everyone's powers into something new."

"I can't be...I'm a seventeen year old girl, from a small town in Ohio. I'm a failed teenaged mother. I'm an ex-cheerleader. I can't be a Faerie Queen. I didn't even win the stupid plastic Prom Queen tiara."

"It was technically a crown..." Kurt muttered under his breath. "Tiaras are a different design and..."

Blaine silenced him with a movement of his eyes.

.

"It would explain why you went so psycho-killer-bitch over the election." Lauren said with growing confidence.

"Oh...of course...that fragment...the queen will search for her crown..yadayadayada. That was talking about you." Steffi was nodding to herself.

"There's a way to prove it Q." Sue said solemnly. "Here."

She opened the dusty metal box and reached inside.

A plain envelope, yellow and brittle with age lay inside, sealed with an elaborate wax seal.

"Only two people in the world can touch this. Me, and Titania. The magic can recognise us no matter what form we take, and can't be fooled by anything. It contains...hell, I have no idea what's in it. Except a prophecy, maybe a letter from my sister. She told me to never open it, and I won't. If you want to know what is in this, you have to open it yourself."

"If only you and Titania can open it, why was it locked in a trapped box and hidden away in a storage unit in..."

"Dubbo. It's a town in Australia. I change the location every few decades or so, usually on my twenty-first birthday."

"...in Dubbo?" Will Schuster finished his question.

"Because if any other being touches that envelope, it will destroy itself. T got me to hex it good before she left."

"I'm not her." Quinn seemed scared.

"You are Quinn, I suspected it when you started at McKinley. But I've had my hopes raised and dashed for centuries, so I just kept my eyes open. You had her confidence, her empathy, plus almost as much Queen Bitch as she did." Sue chuckled ruefully. "When you got pregnant...well, that had never happened before. Not so young as you were."

Quinn and the others looked confused.

"Titania is the Weaver, I am the Cutter. I'm the...well anyway, I have my role in the farce, and Titania was..."

"The Mother. " Jeff said suddenly. "Maiden, Mother and Crone. The triple Goddess, one of the most abiding and pervasive religious stories in human history."

"After you had Beth...I knew then. I could see it in you, but veiled, hidden. It was like someone or something has removed most of you and left the shell. So I kept watching."

"You must be mistaken Coach...I can't..."

"Take the damn letter Q!" Sue said as she thrust the vellum envelope at the frightened girl, whose well trained reflexes were triggered and she reached out and...

.

.

The envelope was heavy in her hand.

It felt old, magic was the only thing that stopped time enough for it still to survive in the world.

It was heavy.

It was...

...still in her hand.

Quinn looked down at it.

She looked up, tears falling, and a look of loss and sadness rising in her shining eyes.

.

"I'm never going to get to be the Prom Queen am I?"

From the midst of his Warbler friends, Nick was staring at his dreams as they began to shatter too.

"Stop whining Q. You'll still have to study, and graduate. You'll still get your Senior Prom. You'll still get to be caught by your mother making out in the backseat of your car, or grounded for staying out late. I'd say you can still give your virginity away on Prom night to some pimply faced loser, but you already did that, sort of. Your soul is old, but you are still my student and by God if I catch you wallowing in self pity, or worse, singing about it with all these other happy campfire koom-bye-yahoos I will not only put you back on the Cheerios but you'll be doing crunches until you're old enough to claim a pension."

Sue spat the words at her, her ice blue eyes flashing.

"Open your damned letter. Let me know why you're missing most of what made you, you, and then go over there and kiss that cute but slightly over anxious choir boy before he faints from the lack of blood flow caused by his overly tight pants and his obnoxiously gelled hair."

"I think she means you Nick." Trent hissed in Nick's ear.

.

Quinn opened the letter.

"It's...there's another envelope in it, and some pages of...is this...I don't know what this is, it feels like paper, but softer...and the ink is..."

"It's unicorn vellum. When one of them dies it wills its skin to the Fae who scrape it incredibly thin and treat it with a variety of chemicals and spells until it becomes an incredibly strong, long lasting and superb surface for writing on. The ink is made in ..."

"Do you want to become the coolest cat in history?" Sue interrupted Lord Tubbington as he was about to launch into a detailed explanation of the ink-making process.

"It's in English, it says 'open this first, me'" Quinn was staring at the small pale envelope she had retrieved from the inside of the larger one.

She opened it first and read the contents allowed.

"If I am reading this, then the world hasn't ended yet, and somehow this crazy plan has actually worked. Hello me. I'm sorry to have to leave you to deal with all of this, but it was unavoidable. No doubt Mabd is glaring at you now expecting you to suddenly revert to the sister she knew and loved. I hate to be the one to tell you this Mabd, or whatever name you go by now, but I'm..."

Quinn stopped speaking and looked frightened and confused.

"Go on..." Sue insisted.

"Are you alright Quinn?" Rachel said as she moved to the stricken girl and guided her into a chair, kneeling beside her with an arm about her shoulders in support.

"Stop babying her I need to..." Sue began.

"Back off Coach, she just needs a moment." Rachel threatened to go full diva on the older woman.

"Be patient please Coach, Quinn is strong, but she needs a little room to breathe." Santana leapt to her friend's defence at the same time.

Faced with two more of her students who seemed willing to face her down, Sue hid a smile and acquiesced.

.

"Sorry, I...I'm ok." Quinn said softly as her mother handed her a glass of water.

She took the letter and continued read.

"...I hate to be the one to tell you this Mabd, or whatever name you go by now but the Titania who was your sister is gone forever. I'm dead my dear, or as near to it as I can manage. Please forgive me, but it was the only way. I knew when I did it that there would be a price to pay for the knowledge, and there was. A terrible , heavy price, but to save all the wonderful things of this world, of both worlds, well, I was willing to pay any price for that."

Sue sat down beside Grandpa Pang and the elderly dragon surreptitiously took her hand in his and held on tight.

"Basically my dear, I did what was forbidden. Deliberately and fully knowing what might happen. I asked the Oracle for a prophecy, to guide me in making a plan to help the worlds survive. She gave me one, a long one, but I couldn't understand it well enough, and so then I did the forbidden thing. I used my power on the Oracle and demanded she read her own words. Worse, I made her explain them to me, tell me what might happen in plain language."

Sue seemed visibly shaken and horrified by this.

"She was gentle with me, and gave me fair warning, but I had to know, and so I did. But that was the price. The price of knowing was to understand what knowing meant. There was one chance for the world, only one. I can't explain this to you from this distance in time, besides, you undoubtedly lived through it, or at least, that is my hope. Hope is all I have left now. The Oracle showed me. To save the world would need hope, and faith, and love. So much love. But even these wouldn't be enough. The only way to power the spell would be to weave the hopes and loves of the entire world into one moment. Even then, love wouldn't be enough. I had to weave the weapons of our enemies into the spell too. Only despair, pain, loss, terror and sacrifice would create the conditions under which one last prayer could fly. A hopeless prayer, a wish of final desperation. Powered not only by the positive emotions, but by the negative ones too."

Lord Tubbington's eyes were round and staring as he began to understand how slender their chance had really been.

"I don't know how or who the one's woven together by the magic are, my poor, shadow self. But I have hope that they are your friends. Don't let them think that they were pawns in some cosmic game. All I did was set up the chance for things to happen. It was their choices, and their love that made the world possible again."

"But what happened to her...to you?" Sue said softly.

"Only from a place of total, utter despair and hopelessness could the arrow of hope be fired. The entire world had to not just believe, but KNOW (she's written that word in capitals) that there was no way to win, or to survive. But I knew there was a way. I was the one being who knew that there was hope, and because of that, there was no hope. My knowledge meant that the spell could never succeed. Do you see what I meant by the cruelty of the price? The payment demanded for learning how to save the world, was that the world became impossible to save."

"Like the uncertainty principle in physics!" Blaine muttered under his breath.

"I was in despair, and I thought of returning to all of those who were searching for me so hard to live at least the remaining time with those I loved. Then it happened. The Oracle was reborn, and she was taken by evil men who thought she was a witch. They broke her, and hurt her terribly, but I remained locked beyond the world where I had hidden myself and couldn't reach her in time to help. I saw the Trickster find her in the end, and he clouded her mind so that she would be unable to touch the memories of what had occurred, even after she was reborn. That's when I realised it. I have a way. But clouding my mind won't be enough, I have to use my powers over the weave to do more. I plan to unravel myself dear sister. I will take my mind, my memories, all that make me who I am, and destroy them. I know that some part of me will survive, but my memory will be forever gone. I will die, in essence, so that the worlds can live. A suitably dramatic gesture dear sister? Please forgive me, and treat the poor remnant of your sister well. To the part of me that remains, that is now reading this. Know that I love you, and I have no regret. You will have healed by now, as much as you ...as I am able to heal. I leave this gift for you..."

.

Quinn reeled back in her chair as the letter she was reading dissolved into golden sparks which covered her entirely and seemed to soak into her skin.

Everyone felt a fragrant breeze, redolent with the smell of sunshine and flowers and the sound of bees wash over them.

When they reopened Quinn's green eyes seemed to glow faintly with starlight and sunlight and her hair seemed just that little bit more golden.

Nick ran to her side and stopped a few inches from touching her.

Quinn looked up and smiled at him, reaching her own hand out to bridge the gap between them.  
>They kissed.<p>

A soft metallic tinkle was heard by everyone in the room as two silver rings fell to the floor between the feet of Nick and Quinn.

"Well, "Kurt said quietly, "One good thing about these rings appearing is I suppose that it means people are less likely to be as oblivious as some I could name when it comes to matters of the heart."

Blaine smiled at him and kissed him senseless.

.

"Wow Rachel, "Mercedes said, "When you make a wish, it just keeps on working doesn't it?"


	56. And Life Goes On

**A/N: Hi all, well, this chapter feels a little different to the recent ones. A lot less angst and Armageddon and a little more flirt and sass.**

**Usually I use the line breaks to indicate a change in PLACE, but this time round they mean a change in TIME (whether a few seconds or a couple of hours) - try to roll with it.  
>Hopefully this chapter will help with anyone in a 'Oh Lord the world is about to end' sort of mindset. (like me)<br>I'm not sure about the power of prayer, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking so if anyone can spend a few minutes to send some positive 'good luck and hang in there' thoughts to two very special ladies (Windrider and Mardie) I'd appreciate it.**

**Reviews would make me feel good, but even more important is if you, yes YOU the person reading this, could take a few minutes to just look into a mirror and say to the person you see, "I am a smart, kind, loving person who deserves love and I promise to be kinder to myself and to others" – then go puke in a basin, because that sounds just so terribly schmaltzy and ...oops, sorry, I had an attack of the Sues.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, Trump Towers, The Realms of Faerie or the UN. Darn them!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Let's face it, "Wes said, "Most postings on the internet, particularly Tumblr and YouTube tend to boil down basically to 'Chocolate is the only flavour, you must be mad or a loser to like Vanilla' or something similar."

"Actually, "Kurt drawled his reply, "It usually boils down to 'Because I really love Chocolate therefore you should never be allowed to ride a bicycle'. I know, it makes no sense at all does it? People are so judgemental, not to mention illogical, and mean. I wish there was a way to make everyone nicer, or at least behave like people instead of...well, behaving like people."

Open on the table so she could see them all, Roberta's avatar nodded on her screen as she shared their conversation while collating the stock market reports for Lord Tubbington.

"Or at least take away their protective anonymity." Trent interjected, "It's a good thing sometimes to be anonymous online, but people take it too far. Because they think they're safely hidden, and no-one will ever know, they say things to deliberately hurt other people, I mean, really hurt them. Sometimes I get so...so angry. I get boiling mad and..."

"Trent, tablecloth." Santana said calmly as she looked up from her magazine and pointed to where the crisp white linen was already scorching and beginning to smoke.

.

It was Tuesday morning, almost Tuesday afternoon really, and almost everyone had slept in after finally talking themselves to a halt the night before. Various conversations were in full swing at various points around the room.

The boardroom and its garden were the scene of a leisurely and, in Kurt's opinion, almost sinfully delicious brunch.  
>Even Burt had been allowed real bacon this morning.<br>Song Lee was a genius at anticipating the needs of her guests, even the supernatural ones.

.

Kurt was calling to the tiny flames that had just appeared on the scorched spot on the tablecloth and was smiling as they ran over his fingers and were absorbed, tingling a little, into the perfect skin of his expertly manicured hands.

"Hey Kurt, where's Frodo McBouncyButt this morning? "Santana asked as she flicked desultorily at the pages of her gossip rag. "I haven't seen him this far apart from you in months. I was beginning to think you guys like, shared organs or something like Siamese twins."

She held up the magazine to show a picture of conjoined twins who shared a liver.

"I know one organ they'd like to sh..."said Puck as he carried a well laden tray and walked past, towards where Lauren was waiting for her second helping.

Lauren heard him begin to speak and threw the remains of a bread roll at him, causing him to flinch and the tray to tip, spilling its contents all over...

.

...nobody.

.

The contents of the tray remained suspended in the air as from a table on the other side of the room Warbler Flint pointed and sweat began to appear on his brow.

"A little faster guys?" He said through gritted teeth as Wes, David and Puck hurriedly fixed Puck's tray.

.

"Thanks man, "Puck said as he hurried, this time in silence, back to Lauren who raised an admonishing finger at him before drawing him down into a fierce kiss.

Kurt shook his head at the pair then turned to Santana.

"Blaine is currently helping Grandpa Pang entertain Stevie, Stacey and Beth in the pool."

"I thought the pool was closed for repairs?" Mike said as he walked past with a pot of coffee for his table.

"It is, "Kurt smiled, "Song Lee knew that after a hard night of saving the world from certain doom, a Dragon loves nothing better than to have a good swim. She closed it so he and Blaine could...swim in private so to speak."

"Won't the kids be scared if there's a dragon...two dragons there?" Trent asked as he reheated his coffee by holding the mug and frowning at it.

"Stevie and Stacey think Grandpa Pang may very well be the best thing to happen to them since someone invented candy, and as for Beth? Blaine says that she blinked once when Grandpa Pang transformed and then reached out demanding a ride."

"Did Blaine call you?" Wes asked, wondering how he had managed to miss Kurt answering his phone.

Kurt just smiled and tapped his head with one elegant finger.

"Speaking of other halves Satan, "he smiled at the Latina who smirked back at him with affection in her eyes, "Where's Britt?"

"She said she needed to go 'be a hug monster', whatever that means. She asked me to wait down here till she came back, apparently she needs to do this alone. I just go along with her when she does this stuff. I have for years, at least now I know why she's worth trusting."

Kurt grinned.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Mike sat down next to Tina and sighed softly as he saw that he hadn't managed to delay his return anywhere near long enough.

"...so you see how it works now Finn?" Rachel said with a note of patient despair in her newly healed voice.

Finn nodded, then stopped nodding.  
>"Not really."<p>

From under the table came a soft, heartfelt sigh and the slight sound of a small kitten beating her head against the leg of the table.

.

"What don't you understand?" Mike found himself asking against his better judgement.

Finn didn't answer immediately as his gaze remained fixed on the sight of Tina's silver hand, its index finger transformed into a wickedly sharp serrated cook's knife, slicing a tomato into perfectly proportioned slices.

"Does that hurt?" He asked.

"No, " Tina smiled as she finished her task and handed the sandwich to Mike. Her hand was back to...well, normal wasn't really a good word for it was it?

"So Finny, what is it about the prophecies you still don't understand?" Rachel reached under the table as she heard the soft sigh again, "Stop that, you'll hurt yourself."

"I just don't get how we were supposed to know what to do if we hadn't read the prophecies before we had to do what we...um...did?"

Everyone sighed.

.

"Finn, "Mike said firmly, "The prophecies aren't a guide to what to do, they are a way to see where we came from so we can know when or if we are making progress towards the events the prophecies are about."

Finn frowned again. "But how do we know where we need to go if..."

"I've got it!" Azimio said as he helped himself to more fruit from the platter they were sharing.

Everyone except Finn looked at him hopefully.

.

"Finn, the prophecies are like...they're like street directions. You know how to follow street directions don't you?"

Finn nodded, but looked sceptical.

"Good. Well these directions only mean something to the people they are meant for. They only make sense to the people who have lived the events they talk about. Until you've been through it, the prophecy means nothing to you, but afterwards, it's like being able to talk a foreign language, like Hummel and his damned French. Now, if I were to say that you're at your house, your old house, before you and your mom moved in with Hummel, you know where you are, right?"

Finn slowly nodded.

"Ok, now, I'm going to give you some descriptions of things you might see or remember as you walk from your old house to a place you want to go to, are you ready?"

"Where am I going?" Finn asked.

"That's kinda the point Finn. I'm going to tell you some 'prophecies', that will tell you what you might see or find as you travel to this place. So once you've worked out what or where all these things I tell you about are, you'll be able to work out where you've gone."

Finn struggled a little, but finally a light dawned in his eyes.  
>"Like a treasure hunt!:<p>

Mike looked at Azimio Adams with shock and admiration.

"Ok, " Azimio continued, "so if you go in the direction of your bad throwing arm and keep going that way until you get to the place where Old Mrs Perrin locked us in a shed that time when we were nine, then head towards the place where you broke your wrist doing a wheelie on your blue bike and then go past 'stomach-ache central' until you see the hot blonde's hangout and then turn right, where are you?"

Finn closed his eyes and thought about it.  
>He opened them with a triumphant look.<p>

"Puck's house!"He said with a grin.

Azimio nodded and smiled widely.

"But...how is that like a prophecy?"

Meggle clawed him.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Santana had given up on her magazine.

It was old anyway, and after the weekend she'd just had, reading about two headed goats or alien abductions just didn't quite have the same zing it used to.

She was watching Trent instead.

Trent was slowly sipping his tea and staring blankly into space while beside him, their faces well wrinkled with giggles, Wes and David fed each other strawberries.

Trent sighed almost inaudibly, but Santana heard it.

"He likes you, you must know that." She said simply.

Trent focused back into the room.

"Who? What are you talking about Ms Lopez? I..."

.

Santana rolled her eyes dramatically.  
>"First, call me Santana, or Satan or Auntie Tanny. Second, that hunky linebacker type you've been pining for...he likes you too."<p>

Trent stared at her in silence.

"Admit it, you've been sitting here for the last five minutes, since Kurt left, sighing about Wevid here and their adorable checkerboard cuteness, while all the while all you really want to do is go over there and wrestle Mr Shoulders to the floor. Am I right?"

Trent sighed again and bit his lip.  
>"He has...well, had a girlfriend, so he's not gay. Even if he was, why would he like me? I can't think why you would think that."<p>

"If I prove it to you, will you promise me you'll do exactly what I tell you to do about it?"

.

Trent tried to remember all the stories Kurt had told him about his friend Santana.  
>He thought he was probably making a serious mistake but...<p>

"Ok, prove it and I'll do what you day."

Santana didn't so much smile as grin predatorily.

.

"Wise choice, now hand me that pitcher of water...thanks, now as your arm comes back, just let your elbow brush against your napkin and let it fall to the floor...no, don't notice it...yet."

"You're crazy if you think Flint even knows I exist, let alone that I'm gay, or that I like him...in that way."

"Honey, first, trust me on this, you may not be as flaming a friend of Dorothy as my sweet Kurt, but nobody needs to use their gaydar when it comes to you. Second, I know all about lustful and loving looks. I'm sort of an expert in that stuff, so don't feel too bad about being spotted drooling down your school tie when he bent over to tie his shoelaces the other night at rehearsal. Hell, I bat for the other team and even I noticed that is one fine piece of man butt..."

Trent was torn between blushing and giggling at her outrageous lack of inhibition or running out of the room screaming.

"...and third, do you really think it was a coincidence that Flint was looking over here at exactly the right time to stop Puck's tray from pouring scalding coffee and fluffy scrambled eggs all over you and me just before?"

Trent hadn't given it much thought. He'd just been grateful that Flint's powers to move objects had been on hand to protect them from a messy start to the day.

Santana was focusing her gaze at her plate as she spoke.  
>"Ok, now eat one of the strawberries, try to make a mess...no, not drag queen make up, just let a little juice flow out onto your bottom lip...perfect. Now, reach for your napkin...no, for where you left it stupid...that's it. Now look confused and a little desperate, you have fruit juice dribbling down your face and your fingers and you need...yes! I told you so."<p>

Trent stopped moving as he noticed his napkin hovering in mid-air a few inches from his shoulder.

"Look at him!" hissed Santana, "And smile and say thank you... with your eyes."

Trent looked over to where Flint was staring at him and the napkin as he held the linen aloft with the power of his mind.  
>He smiled shyly and started to reach for the napkin.<p>

"No! Take the napkin, but lick the juice from your fingers...keep staring at him while you do it."

Trent hesitated.

"You promised." Santana whispered forcefully.

.

Trent did as she told him.

Across the room, Flint blushed furiously and the pitcher of water on his table shattered as his powers rebounded.

"Go offer him a napkin, Trent, he'll need something to help get those pants dry now."Santana was smiling her secretive cat smile now.

Trent walked over to Flint's table, then froze and stood there awkwardly.  
>Santana was trying to signal to him, but he was too nervous to even look in her direction.<br>Luckily, Flint looked at her, and she rolled her eyes at him an issued a non-verbal command with a single look.

Flint reached out and took Trent's hand and pulled him down onto the seat beside him.

"Hi, "Flint said a little breathlessly, "Did you...how did...what was your..."

"I slept really well last night, "Trent worked out the obvious question, "I was really tired. How about you?"

"I slept ok." Flint said. "Could I borrow your napkin? Mine seems to have gotten a little wet."

"What? Oh...um...of course...I ..."

"Trent."

"What? "

"You can let go now...of the napkin I mean."

Trent realised that he was clinging on to the napkin with his left hand as if his life depended on it.  
>His right hand however was still held firmly in the grip of Flint's left hand.<p>

Flint smiled at him, his hands were very big, strong and calloused, but his grip was so warm...so gentle.

Trent smiled back.

.

.

.

.

Kurt came back from whatever errand Brittany had summoned him for and sat down beside Lauren with a sigh.  
>"Where did Santana, Trent and the happy couple get to? I was only gone fifteen minutes?"<p>

"Wes and David went off to neck in private I think, "Lauren said as she sipped her final cup of coffee and watched Puck trying to help Rachel, Azimio and the others explain something to Finn.  
>Even Puck was starting to look frazzled.<p>

"Santana said she was going to go make a call or something, and Trent is over there."

Lauren pointed to the other side of the room where Trent and Flint were deep in conversation.  
>Every now and then one or the other would reach a hand out and touch the other on the knee, the hand, the arm...just as a way of affirming their newfound connection.<p>

Kurt smiled.  
>"Oh thank heavens. I wondered if either of them would ever get the hint."<p>

"Santana pushed things along a bit I think." Lauren said absently as she turned to look more fully at the boy sitting beside her, "Ok, give. How is Quinn? Is she up for visitors yet?"

Kurt blinked.  
>"You don't miss much do you Lauren?"<p>

"I have a rep to maintain as a seriously hard-assed bitch, but Quinn is good people, my people, by which I mean she is someone I really care about. Ever since the whole Prom Queen election we've sort of bonded. She's a lot stronger than she thinks she is, but she's also a lot more vulnerable than others think. I'm not going to ask for details, but I would appreciate it if you could at least tell me someone is with her."

"Britt went to her first thing this morning. I think she may well have been the only person Quinn would have allowed in to see her at the time. Her mom said she tried to talk to her, but she just closed up. When Britt arrived she had her entire nail polish collection in a carrying case with her, and a fondue set she borrowed from the hotel kitchen."

"And Britt called you...?"

"To see if Quinn was ready to accept others near her. She handled it so well last night, but she was starting to freak out a little towards the end, when we all just started talking in circles."

"And she let you in alright?" Lauren said, the calmness of her voice belying her deep feelings on the matter.

Kurt held his hands up to reveal the perfectly drawn yellow warbler painted on each nail against a Dalton blue background.

"Britt does good work."Lauren said.

"Quinn did these, she's got a great eye for details."

.

Lauren almost smiled, but maintained her facade of indifference.

"You know Lauren...your nails are looking a little...flat this morning. I think you could really use a good manicure, or at least a bit of a tidy up. Maybe a simple lacquer over the top to prevent chipping."

Lauren thought about it.  
>"Do you know where Brittany is? I hear she has a complete kit that she..."<p>

"Room 44-10."

"Might go check it out!" Lauren said as she stood up and wandered off to the door.

.

As she approached it she almost got hit by two small blond streaks of energy that ran into the room looking for their mother and father.

Still wrapped in towels and beaded with water they spotted Sam, Mercedes and their parents eating out in the garden and ran towards them.

"Mom, Dad...Queen Sue says she's going to freeze the pool solid so we can go ice skating, but only if you'll let us. Can we? Can we? It's been ages since winter and Ms Song says she can get us skates easy...can we..."

Kurt smiled and shook his head at their childish excitement.

His attention was drawn to the figure that walked through the door next.

.

Blaine was shirtless, with his towel wrapped firmly around his lithe waist.  
>Small beads of water still glistened in his hair, and as Kurt smiled at him a drop of water ran down his neck, across the expanse of his chest and down over the ripples of his abdominal muscles.<p>

Kurt found breathing become difficult.

.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked as Blaine bounced over to him.

"Not really, "Blaine said, "But the only thing I really feel like eating in this room this morning is..."

"Kurt! Blaine! Have you seen Jeff and Dave?" Jon said as he pushed Artie's chair in from where they had been chatting over their own breakfast...lunch...brunch.

Steffi was walking behind them with little Hope in her arms.

.

"I haven't seen them this morning at all." Kurt said in puzzlement.

"They're probably still in bed." Blaine said, "It was a pretty difficult night for them last night, what with the dying and all."

.

"Dog wanted to go for a walk, but he didn't feel comfortable doing it in human shape, and he wouldn't be allowed to do it in his natural form so Dave and Jeff went out about an hour ago, maybe more."

The voice was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time, and coming from somewhere near their ankles.

"Meggle?" Kurt said, "You can talk out loud now? Like Lord Tubbington?"

"Yes, "said the small cat, "It would seem that gaining those extra powers from our rings, not to mention changing to human form meant that things and abilities that would normally have taken years, such as learning to talk out loud, have been...accelerated a little. Father explained it all to me earlier."

"Will Dave and Jeff be ok out there? I mean, I don't know what the mood of the city is like after last night. What if someone recognises them?" Artie was worried.

""Actually, that's a thing." Jon mused. "You'd have thought that the media would have gone crazy by now. Even with all the confusion last night, someone should have put two and two together and they should have been staking this place out from before the sun came up. But nothing. It's been mentioned on the news nonstop, but no real details, no names. They mentioned our concert even, but they just didn't seem to take the step to connect the two events – the concert and the attacks, despite the fact that the concert was where the President made his speech from, and not to mention the angel flying out over the audience to prove he wasn't crazy. When you look at the pictures though, it seems like the angel comes from the ceiling, not the stage."

"I suspect the sneaky hand of one Sue 'Queen of the Snow-Job' Sylvester." Kurt said calmly, "She's spent centuries perfecting the art of obfuscation, I don't think she'd see this occasion as any different."

"Well if it gives us even a day or two of breathing space I'm grateful to her." Said Blaine.

.

"What have you been up to this morning Miss Meggle?" Steffi asked as she smiled down at her sleeping baby.

"We've been trying to explain the nature of prophecy to Finn."

"Oh lord, why?" Kurt exclaimed, "I love him dearly, but explaining complicated things to him is like trying to teach a goldfish to play the ukulele."

.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I bet this was Rachel's idea."

"What was my idea?"

Rachel and Finn were holding hands as they joined Kurt and the group that had formed around him.

Blaine decided to eat a piece of fruit left on Lauren and Puck's platter.

"Hey Kurt, I understand what prophecy is now. It's like getting directions to Puck's house in code."

Finn looked so pleased with himself that Kurt didn't have the heart to even do his usual eye-roll.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It was after lunch, or rather, it was after the time that lunch would normally have been served, if this was a normal day.

.

Everyone was assembled in the boardroom again, waiting for Kurt and Blaine to get back from whatever urgent thing the phone call they had received two hours ago had called them to.

"Where have you two been?" Elaine Anderson asked, faint worry making her face wrinkle, as the two boys hurried through the door from the rooftop garden, "And how on earth did you get in before us?"

"We didn't" Kurt said simply, checking his hair in the reflection of the mirror he always carried in his pocket, "We came up the back way."

"There's a back way?" Finn said with evident shock.

"We flew Finn." Kurt said closing his compact with a snap.

"Well, technically Kurt, I flew and you rode, if we're going to be at all...pedantic...about...I think I'll go and get some coffee. Do you want some coffee Kurt? You like coffee, remember."

"Blaine! I could have flown too, but I didn't see you volunteering to hold a glamour over you in dragon form so that we didn't get the shoppers of NYC all excited."

"I know, but you..."

"Yep, they're married alright." Burt drawled as the two boys suddenly remembered their audience.

.

"Dad? No, we...I mean...we haven't...I haven't asked him yet and...he hasn't asked...we...we were just talking and the name board got us thinking and now..."  
>"Mr Hummel? I thought...it was just a conversation we had in the taxi and...you know I'd ask you first if Kurt didn't ask me and..."<p>

"They're adorable." Puck whispered loudly to Lauren, "Can we keep them?"

.

"Calm down boys, we can discuss this later. You still didn't tell us where you were that required such a risky way to get back to the hotel." Burt had an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, that. It was...nothing really, we...that is Roberta got a call asking if...you tell them honey."

Blaine smiled nervously at his family and friends.

"Well, Kurt and I were asked if we would be able to give a short briefing to...some people who needed to know about what happened last night."

"Who?" John Anderson asked puzzled.

.

"The United Nations Security Council." Blaine said in a slight rush of words.

"Mr Ban got my number last night."Kurt said.

"You gave the Secretary-General of the United Nations your phone number?" Wes blurted the question out.

"No, well...he asked for it, and it was Bramley he asked so I suppose technically he got my number from my...phone...personally...really...Blaine?"

"They just wanted to find out a little more about what happened, and whether it was likely to happen again. I think the whole missile launch sequence thing scared them more than a little. The Russian delegate looked positively green."

"I loved the Ambassador from China. His face when you answered him in his home region's dialect was priceless." Kurt was smiling as he said it.

"Anyway, "Blaine said, entwining his fingers with Kurt's in a gesture all the more touching for the fact that it was obvious to those watching that he had no conscious knowledge he was doing it. "We told them that as soon as we knew a bit more about what was happening, we'd inform them."

"I still have no idea why they seemed so interested in anything we might have to say, 'Kurt said smiling ruefully, "They seemed so eager to show us they were working well together, co-operating and the like. It was strange, like we were their teachers or something. It's not like we're going to be giving them a grade at the end of the year or anything, is it?"

.

"Actually Kurt, I think...that is, we think, you might be closer to the truth than you realise with that statement."

.

Quinn and Sue were standing side by side, with the envelope from last night held tightly in Quinn's hands.  
>Sue had a single sheet of vellum from it in her hands.<p>

"What do you mean?" Carole asked slowly, "Are Kurt and Blaine in some sort of trouble."

"The opposite actually, "Quinn said, "Sue and I have worked out a couple of the prophecies came true last night, including this new one, the one we forgot all about in our late night talk fest. My fault I know, I was so busy having a meltdown that I completely let this slip my mind."

"We figured if it was important enough to wait a few thousand years, it was important to wait another day or too." Blaine said smiling.

"Which prophecies?" Trent asked excitedly. Of all the Warblers he was probably the most interested in the prophecies as an intellectual puzzle.

.

Kurt noticed the muscular arm Flint had firmly wrapped around Trent's waist and he looked at the two boys, catching each in his gaze.

Flint's broad grin and Trent's blush of joy confirmed his suspicions.

"You, and they, can thank me later Porcelain." Santana whispered in his ear.

Sue and Quinn took up positions at the end of the table.

.

"Ok, listen up, here are the prophecies we know for sure happened last night, Q?"

_**The Queen shall see the danger, but too late  
>But still, the messengers can save the King<br>**_

"That's the one about Dad...I mean, Burt." Finn exclaimed. He stammered to a halt, blushing.

"Yes it is Finn, and this one also happened, it's so obvious in hindsight." Quinn smiled at him.

_**Sing a song of love in the heart of summer  
>When fear runs riot from the father's fall<br>A winter's song feeds the child of Ariadne  
>And hope shall spring eternal, in the hearts of all<strong>_

.

"The song I sang...Winter Song, all about love. But who is Ariadne? " Kurt was puzzled now too.

"She was the first spider, a weaver turned to a spider because her weaving was more beautiful than the Goddess Athena's weaving. The Web! The Child of Ariadne is the web of love." Jeff was finally putting his hobby to good use.

"I always thought Arachne was the first spider?" Wes said. (also an ancient mythology buff)

"She was! You're right Wes. Ariadne was...um...hang on..."

::Ariadne was the woman who gave Theseus a silver thread to find his way free from the labyrinth of Minos::

"Thanks Roberta!" Tina said , "Maybe it's a poetic way of combining the two stories? The web of silver threads woven by Kurt and Jeff, that leads people from the maze of death and back into the light."  
>Tina's silver arm was swirling with mazes and web patterns as if to illustrate her words.<p>

"Your girlfriend is freaking awesome dude!" Jon whispered in Mike's ear.

Mike just smiled and nodded.

.

"And finally when we read this new prophecy, we realised why I...why Titania sacrificed herself. She had to, or the prophecy could never come true."

"We also realised what might have happened, and who and what finally tipped the balance in our favour last night. " Sue was looking shocked at the information, whatever it was.

"I wrote it out so you can all read it as I say it, "Quinn said, "The word in bold is like that on the original, so we know that original Oracle must have emphasised it too."

As one by one the heroes fall in battle hardest fought  
>When endless night is falling, a single flame shall bear<br>the sorrow of great losses, the pain of life cut short  
>The dark shall keen in triumph as the Earth wails in despair<p>

The Dead Queen shouts a warning as the Queen who would be falls  
>The spark that lit the firestorm is the target of their ire<br>As the scream of hatred drowns her out and no-one hears her calls  
>Then hope shall find its triumph as the flame channels the fire<p>

Raised as neither sword nor armour yet light cuts like razor keen  
>each abandons thoughts of self and for others takes up care<br>As the silver eye shares visions and the world begins to dream  
>Then the faith held in the childlike heart shall save them from despair<p>

The blind trust of fools and dreamers shall create the worlds anew  
>Yet all of this shall fail to pass if <strong><span>any<span>** knows what's true

.

"We found another line, added long after the first prophecy. It's in my...in the same handwriting, but it was barely legible, and Sue said it was written in..."

"In blood, Titania's own blood."

_**The union will prove the darks undoing, but ware the darkness before the dawn.**_

.

"Oh goody," Kurt said with deadpan precision, "That doesn't sound ominous at all."


	57. Love Changes Everything

**A/N: Hello! See, I'm not totally dead, just been busy living, loving, failing, suceeding, coughing up goo etc etc**  
><strong>So sorry I've let this slide for so damned long - no real excuses (well, none I want to share with the weblic anyway)<strong>  
><strong>Hopefully I can stay focused and breathing etc long enough to get some more chapters down before the plot bunnies hippity-hop into some other part of my over filled yet strangely empty brain.<br>It's a bit shorter than I would like, and too talky, but at least it is HERE.**  
><strong>If you happen to feel like reviewing, I would be awfully grateful (plus it would let me know that at least ONE person still gave a "fertiliser" about this story)<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Glee, Don't own NYC. I do have permission to touch a nicely muscled ass in knit shorts on a regular basis, but he's MINE, so back off!**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

Dave and Jeff were being followed.

They hadn't noticed at first. Both boys had been caught up in the truly beautiful summer morning, and in the flashes of passion each kept noticing in the other's eyes. Dog kept running ahead of them as they walked through the 'off leash' area of the park, occasionally stopping to greet the other dogs, and their owners, who were sharing the glorious July morning with them.

It took Dave several minutes to realise that they were being watched, and several more minutes until he was both certain he was right, and had identified the source of the feeling.

.  
><em>Jeff...we're being watched<em>

_Of course we're being watched, we're two extremely sexy guys, in tight fitting T-shirts and short shorts playing Frisbee with an enormous monster of a dog-horse. People are going to watch you at least Dave. I mean the way your ass just..._

_...No dummy, I mean, someone is watching us. They've been following us since the small pond._

_Oh, you mean the two blond girls with the matching backpacks? Yeah, I spotted them five minutes ago_

_You didn't think to tell me?_

_What's to tell? They obviously like looking at you, and who can blame them?_

_What? It's you they are looking at? Why would they want a lump like me when they have a hot sexy blond like...?_

_...you think I'm sexy...?_

_...well, duh!_

_Dave, you are a hunk. If the sight of those guns straining the material of your shirt didn't catch their attention then I think the way those knit shorts are clinging to those muscular thighs would ..._

_JEFF!_

_Oh Jeff what? I tell it like I see it Bird, and I likes what I sees_

.

Dave turned to speak aloud to his boyfriend, just as the two girls in question made their move.

"Hi, "the slightly taller of the two smiled flirtatiously at the pair, "My name is Tara, and this is my friend Melinda. I hope you don't think this is really rude but... you were one of the singers in the concert at Radio City last night, weren't you?"

Dave and Jeff were confused for a second.

Tara continued, "We were watching it on TV together, well, until that weird station break happened, I think we must have fallen asleep. I know I had the weirdest dream about a baby and singing and people coming back from the dead and..." She trailed off blushing.

"I dreamed that someone was telling me that an angel had died to save us all, but now he was dead, and I thought, that's so unfair, "Melinda seemed quite cross at her memory, "So I thought, well, I wish I could help, I mean, I don't know if I would be brave or selfless enough to give my life for someone else, but I thought, well, maybe if I gave up a day of my life, and everyone did the same, then surely that would be enough to bring them back."

"It was a wicked dream!" Tara agreed, "But anyway, before that happened, I'm sure it was you who was singing the song at the end of the act, right before they crossed to the Wiggles. It was you wasn't it?"

Dave had never had to answer that sort of question before.

""We both thought you were incredibly dreamy, and your voice is so sexy!" Melinda was obviously the bolder of the pair, "Would you sign an autograph for us?"

"How did you get into that show?" Tara asked at the same time.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Melinda asked a split second later, having snatched a quick breath.

Dave stood staring at them, unable to even process what was happening.  
>Jeff found a small smile of pride and affection trying to compete for space on his face with a frown of jealous possessiveness.<p>

"Melinda! You can't just..." Tara was blushing.

"We both think you are really, really sexy. Are you a professional singer? " Melinda was beyond breathing now.

Dave blushed like a fire engine and turned helplessly to his boyfriend who was standing there, his amusement fading a little as he realised that neither girl had even noticed his presence.

"Could you sign this for me?" Tara asked as she pulled a small notebook out of her bag, along with a small black sharpie.

"You can sign my boob if you want..." Melinda began

Jeff coughed slightly and both girls startled as they realised Dave was not alone.

"Oh sorry, I...hey, you were in the show last night too! "Tara gushed, "I recognise that floppy bit at the front!" She gestured vaguely to the blond's fringe.

Melinda looked him up and down in a slightly clinical way, made a decision and smiled at Jeff with a fake cheeriness that fooled no one.

"Hello! I'm Melinda, would you like to sign my boob too...sweetie?"

She thrust the suggested articles closer to Jeff and Dave's faces.

Dave couldn't find words.

Jeff...could.

"Ladies." He smiled charmingly, years of being around Blaine and Nick finally paying off, "Dave would be honoured to sign your autograph books, Dave, sign your name for your fans."

.

_I suggest initials only Honey, and don't even LOOK at the boob, I did and trust me, it's not for the faint of heart._

.

Dave smiled at his boyfriend's unspoken jibe and signed a swift, bold DK onto the glittered pages offered to him.

"It's a hot morning, "Melinda said, fanning herself with her book, "I bet you guys could really use a drink. What say we pop over to the cafe and you can tell us all about your careers in show business?"

Dave looked helplessly at Jeff.

Jeff smiled wickedly at the girls.  
>"Sorry girls, but much as we would love to chat to fans of Dave here, we need to get his dog back to the hotel and then we have a really full schedule of meetings, you know how it is."<p>

"Which hotel? We could walk with you. How about dinner tonight?"  
>Melinda was nothing if not persistent.<p>

"You have a girlfriend don't you." Tara said with a dejected air.

"Not exactly, "Dave stammered, blushing slightly.

"Oh God, no. You're married? But you're way too young. I bet she's a skank. Did she trick you into it by getting pregnant? That's what this one girl at our school did..." Tara had obviously had her verbal filter removed at some stage.

"Jeff?" Dave was looking more and more uncomfortable.  
>Jeff was looking slightly self conscious.<p>

"Oh. My. God!" Tara suddenly blurted with dramatic emphasis, "Please tell me you're not gay? Nobody as hot as you could be gay. I mean, Adam Lambert is kinda cute, but he isn't exactly a regular guy like you are, and I mean, I understand if your management and their junior flunkies..."

She shot a glare in Jeff's direction.

"...I understand if they think it's going to be a great publicity stunt, but really? However fashionable it might be in the industry these days to go for the pink market, no one is going to believe for one second that you are into buttsex with boys, I mean, you're a hunk. I saw that telecast and you weren't wearing eyeliner or makeup or anything, and your voice was so deep and dreamy and you had such passion as you sang and..."

.

Dave could feel Jeff getting mad.  
>Hell, Dave was starting to get a little mad himself, despite his embarrassment and natural reticence.<p>

"If you were watching my song so carefully last night, "he almost growled, "I'm surprised that you didn't take note of who I was singing it to."

Dave fought down his nervousness and reached a hand out tentatively.  
>He couldn't quite bring himself to grab Jeff's hand in such a public situation, but he brushed against it with his calloused fingers, the movement, and the sentiments behind it, making Jeff smile slightly at him.<p>

"Mel, shut up, please." Tara said, "Neither of them are interested and you're starting to be really embarrassing, ok?"

Both girls noted the way Jeff and Dave had stepped into each others' personal space. They weren't exactly touching, but they were standing far closer together than mere friends would be.

"Is he your boyfriend then?" Melinda said looking sceptically at Jeff, "I mean, he looks a little like a girl I suppose. Trust me, I can show you what you're missing if you..."

Tara placed a hand over her friend's mouth and apologised.

"Jeff isn't my boyfriend." Dave said softly, catching Jeff's hand in his before any hurt could come from his words and letting the slender boy feel the emotions churning beneath Dave's calm exterior.

.

Dave willed their rings to be visible to the girls.

.

Tara noticed them almost immediately.

She gasped and smiled ruefully at them.  
>"I'll take Mel home, I think she's probably had too much sun."<p>

Melinda was dragged away protesting. Jeff could hear Tara hissing words in her ears like 'married' and 'totally gay' and 'what a waste, both of them!'

Jeff laughed softly to himself, but he still seemed a little off.

"I love you, you know that, don't you?" Dave said quietly as he wrapped his arms around Jeff's body from behind and squeezed him against his chest.

Jeff nodded, "I know. Anyway, I think we handled your first groupies rather well Dave Karofsky, Super Stud."

"I'm not a stud."

"I have some rather large and rapidly growing evidence making its presence known to my lower spinal cord that begs to differ Dave."

Dave blushed and realised suddenly that he was openly hugging his boyfriend to him, in the middle of an open area of grassland in the middle of Central Park, New York City, while hundreds of people went about their business around them.

He looked around nervously, but refused to give in to his instinct to let go.  
>The only people he saw paying him and Jeff any attention at all were a middle-aged couple sitting on a park bench several yards away. The woman looked up at them and poked her husband in the leg. He looked over to where she told him to look as she pointed out the boys' joined hands where Jeff and Dave's rings were still shining and obvious in the bright July sunshine.<p>

For a few seconds the two couples made eye contact with each other, but just as Dave began to grow apprehensive the man and the woman smiled and laughed at the two boys. She and her husband reached their own hands out to each other, held up their matching wedding rings and both gestured with a thumbs up from their free hands before leaning into their own kiss in the sunlight.

The woman's eyes glistened as she winked at Dave and Jeff, as if to say, 'Isn't it a wonderful day to be in love?'

"I think I love this city." Dave whispered as he leaned his head down slightly and looked into Jeff's eyes.

"Those girls, that couple, they think we're really married." Jeff giggled.

"So do I," Dave said fiercely, "So do I."

Jeff smiled as he stared into Dave's eyes and lost himself briefly in the swirling stars he saw there. "Ditto."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"...so Sue explained what she's done, but I can't really get my head around it." Kurt yawned as he and Blaine sat on the sofa in their hotel suite watching Jeff and Dave as they snuggled on the other sofa opposite. "It's how she's managed things for centuries she reckons. She can't remove memories from everyone, not that easily, but she can mess them around a little. Which is why the media haven't yet managed to put two and two together and started a witch hunt for us."

"Fairy hunt sweetheart, surely?" Blaine quipped, earning himself an eye-roll and sigh combination of Olympic proportions from the slender counter-tenor sitting curled up against him.  
>Kurt lay back a little more, resting his head on the arm of the sofa as he wriggled so he was lying across Blaine's lap.<p>

"I figured someone must have done something, "Jeff said, "It was as if they could only remember the more normal parts of the telecast. Not that I think those girls were really great representatives of the population of New York, not the world's smartest bimbos."

Dave raised an eyebrow in a manner Blaine found almost a perfect imitation of Kurt.  
>"I don't know, Tara seemed nice, in a Snooki-Gets-Plastered sort of way."<p>

Jeff smiled at him and then turned back to the boys on the opposite couch.

"You should have seen, and heard, her friend though, even her boobs were offensive!"

All four boys laughed at that.

Dave smiled and pulled Jeff a little closer to his body.  
>"Anyway, we asked Dog to change and go back to the hotel on his own, and we went out for lunch, together, and then dinner together and we walked the streets of the Village, together, and even though it sounds like we missed an important meeting with all you guys, it was totally worth it."<p>

Jeff leaned back against Dave's muscular chest and seemed to almost melt into his body.  
>"Dave and I even held hands all through Greenwich Village, and at lunch and dinner."<p>

Kurt and Blaine felt a rush of joy as they realised how far Dave had come in the last few weeks.

"And we let our rings stay visible, "Dave added softly, "So people would stop hitting on Mr SexySurfer here."

"Hey, you were getting your fair share of offers too Mr BunsOfSteel!"

.

"So you made sure to flash your bling? So they'd assume you guys had taken advantage of the new marriage laws? Did that work?" Kurt asked dryly.

Dave blushed brightly.

Jeff giggled.  
>"Sort of, guys started asking us if we wanted to have a threesome instead...or more."<p>

Dave was fire engine red now.

"I'm blaming Dave's shorts. He's never allowed to wear shorts that tight or short again in public." Jeff said teasingly, "And no more knit. It hugs the contours in a most distracting way."

All three boys laughed at Dave's expense until he growled at them to stop.

After a few seconds of companionable silence, Dave spoke again.

"So...Sue said that the people who were actually there, at Radio City, or who actually saw the creatures in Central Park, they are going to remember everything? But the people who just saw it on their TVs or dreamt it as Jeff's web started to grow, they will only have hazy recall? Have I got that right?"

"I still think that part is freaky, "Blaine said softly, "To think that even those people who weren't watching the telecast because they were asleep on the other side of the world had what was really happening become part of their dreams..."

"You've always been a little dreamy Blaine."Kurt whispered as he lifted Blaine's hand from where it lay on Kurt's stomach and kissed the pulse point.

"Awwwww!" Jeff and Dave cooed simultaneously,

.

Kurt rolled his eyes and smiled at them.

"I still can't believe we saved the world, "Dave whispered, almost to himself, "Let alone who it was that saved us all in the end."

Jeff thought for a few seconds.

.

"I think it was really a team effort Dave. None of us could ever have done it on our own. I think that was the beauty of Titania's final spell. She just put all the elements in the right place at the right time and hoped for the best."

Dave was still a little confused.  
>"I still don't get that though. Why was it so important for us to not know there was a chance at success? Why did we have to go through all that pain and sadness? Kurt lost his Dad! I mean, I know Burt is back, alive and stronger than ever but..."<p>

"I think I worked that one out, "Blaine said. "Remember how Lord T explained that the Godmothers use love to power their magic?"

The others nodded.

"Well, "Blaine continued, "If you recall, he mentioned that there were other sources of magical power too. The ones our enemies have been using for centuries."

"Black magic?" Kurt said quietly, his face beginning to show understanding.

"Are you saying we used..."Jeff began.

"No!" Blaine said sharply, "Well...not exactly. But remember how powerful emotion is? I mean, Rachel held off an entire army of psychic vampires all by herself for what seemed like hours, just by tapping into her emotions."

Kurt nodded, his eyes filling with unshed tears.  
>"She must have sung more than two hundred love songs before her vocal cords tore, and even after they did, she tried to keep singing."<p>

"Everyone played their part in the fight, "Blaine nodded, "And we all thought, we all knew, it was hopeless."

Dave thought he was beginning to see what Blaine had worked out.  
>"So when Burt died, Kurt wasn't just drawing on the power of your love, or even on the power of the love from all us guys – he was drawing on his own sadness, and fear, and anger..."<p>

"All the emotions at once." Blaine nodded, "Even the dark ones. But because he was filled with our love, they didn't twist his magic the way they usually twist black magic. He took all that power, and he chose to sing a lullaby to a frightened baby."

"And everyone joined him. And I could feel it!" Jeff whispered, "I could feel their emotions pouring into the web that Kurt made to save Dave's life, even as I was dying."

"And you passed it to me, "Kurt sighed, "And the whole world began to dream. They began to sing together, even if they didn't know what the song was or what the words meant."

"Not everyone, "Blaine said, "But most of the world. Roberta estimates about five billion people made the conscious decision to give their lives to the web. All their emotions, all their humanity. No wonder the Ban-Sidhe couldn't stand up to it."

"And then..." Dave laughed, "How did Titania's prophecy put it?"

"The Childlike heart...The blind trust of fools and dreamers shall create the worlds anew" Blaine said. "I know I'm not meant to be able to remember parts of prophecies, but I think my weird brain is finally coming online fully."

"Timelord!" Jeff teased softly from across the coffee table.

"Who'd have thought Finn would be the one to save the world, "Dave said, chuckling.

"Finn may be a little slow sometimes, "Kurt defended, "But he has a good heart."

"He was scared, and alone, "Blaine said, "His step-dad had just been shot in front of him. His girlfriend was lying at his feet with blood trickling from her mouth. A horde of angry Unseelie was about to descend in him and eat his soul and suddenly everyone is singing to a baby about love."

"And that was the moment when Finn remembered that he still hadn't used the wishing coin you guys had given him." Jeff smiled.

"I guess we didn't explain to him well enough about the limitations of his wish." Kurt said, "Just as well. He just did the usual Finn thing of opening his mouth and saying what he felt. "

"Do we know exactly what the ramifications of his wish are going to be?" Jeff asked curiously, "Or is that something we will discover as time goes on?"

"All we know is that it's going to come true, and it was made with love." Kurt smiled, "I think that might just be enough for now. It would be nice if he could remember exactly what he actually said though."

.

The four friends sat on the sofas and just smiled for a few minutes.

Jeff finally broke the silence.  
>"Did the UN Security council really demand a briefing from you?"<p>

"No, "Blaine replied slowly, "It was really odd. They were sort of...asking us...'nicely', if you can get your head around that. It was almost as if they were worried we might feel able to say no."

Dave chuckled and the others looked at him questioningly.

"Ok, I'll bite, "said Kurt at last, "What?"

"If you really want to bite him, might I suggest starting with his Pecs? It really gets him going." Jeff drawled from his reclining position against the muscles in question.

Kurt rolled his eyes and tried to suppress his giggle while simultaneously bringing his Diva glare on-line.  
>Dave blushed, but the feeling of Jeff's huge grin against the thin material of his T-shirt made him grin too.<p>

"I just thought, what if part of Finn's wish was for you guys...I mean, he really thinks that Blaine and you can do anything!"

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in confusion.

"He wished for love to be in charge of the reunification of the worlds, we know that. It's just not clear what exactly that might entail." Blaine said finally.

Dave shook his head.  
>"But what if that's not all he wished for, remember, he told us he was panicked. He might have wished for you two to be in charge of...well...everything. I think the UN calling for you was not just a coincidence."<p>

"Oh please. Like that is even the remotest possibility of..."Kurt's voice trailed away as his face went pale.

"I'm sure that even Finn wouldn't...oh dear." Blaine was also looking pensive now.

Jeff leapt acrobatically to his feet and reached behind him for Dave's hand.

"Let's all worry about that later." He said briskly, "I'm feeling like bed."

"You're remarkably athletic for someone who is so tired." Kurt said sardonically.

Jeff smirked as he dragged Dave towards the door of Kurt and Blaine's suite.  
>"I never said I was tired."<p>

They let themselves out.

Kurt closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of Blaine's fingers massaging his scalp through his hair.

"You don't mind do you love?" Blaine asked softly. "I know you hate people touching your hair."

"Not you. Never you, and I usually only object if it happens when I'm out, in everyone's view. I just don't like to have all my hard work wasted."

"About what Dave said..."

"Can we deal with it in the morning?" Kurt asked quietly, "I'm sure I'll be able to cope in the morning."

Blaine just hummed agreement and continued to massage his boyfriend's head.

"Bed?" Kurt asked languidly as the magic fingers drew any tension from him.

"I'm not surprised you're sleepy my darling. It's been a surprisingly draining day for both of us." Blaine murmured.

Kurt was breathing slowly and gently now, his eyes closed.  
>Blaine looked down.<p>

Kurt's eyes opened. Pools of swirling grey and blue, sprinkled with starlight.

"No Blaine...I'm not tired at all."

.

Stars began to twinkle in Blaine's eyes as they smiled at each other.

"Oh...good."


	58. We Could Be Heroes

**Hello all – it's been a while I know.  
>Ill health, writer's block, worklife imbalances and a general lack of time all round have all contributed (mostly the writer's block)  
>It's funny, but I realised recently that part of the reason I've been having trouble writing this story was that I am a little phobic about "endings" and I was sensing this story coming to a natural conclusion soon.<strong>

**I also realised that when I started writing this story (SO long ago now, it's scary) I was in a dark place, alone and sad and needed to find the light inside me and set it into a form I could look at and keep.  
>People often don't believe me, but seriously, the main reason I write this , or write anything for that matter, is because I want to see what happens next.<br>I wish I could be one of those writers to plan everything out and know at the very start of chapter one how things will progress (and end) but I seriously don't.**

**Sometimes I don't know what is happening until AFTER I've written it. I find out as I'm editing. **

**I hope that the faithful who have waited so long for a new chapter are pleased I finally got around to it. I've already begun on the next couple, so hopefully I won't leave you all hanging again. (but I've said that SO many times before I know)**

**IF you are actually pleased that I've risen from the semi-dead, please review, it will keep me motivated to keep the ball rolling again.  
>I've discovered people and events popping into this narrative that foreshadow or fit in to a lot of things from Season 3 (remember, this is set in the summer between Seasons 2 and 3) – again, not planned, but my subconscious plot-bunnies have minds of their own, so I shall just go with the flow.<strong>

**Rachel sings a song (I know, quelle ****surprise!) – here is a lot of letters that if you remove the spaces might send you to a nice version of it.  
>www. youtube watch?v= d97zkAanaZY<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee or the rights to it, or a lot of jewellery or much of anything really, but I can appreciate a nice sexual innuendo with the best of them (and the sight of a hot guy too)**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

.

"...ok, ok, I promise!"

Lauren released Puck's arm from where she had twisted it behind his back and smirked at him as he rubbed the sore muscles.  
>"See that you do Puckerman, or no more kissing lessons for you."<p>

Puck's eyes opened wide and his bottom lip quivered.  
>The others in the room who had been watching with amusement took note of his puppy eyes.<p>

.

.

"He's been learning from Blaine I see."Trent whispered in Flint's ear as they sat at their table across the room, leaning into each other.

Flint nodded, smiling and offered Trent a forkful of his pancake.  
>Trent chewed slowly, his gaze still fixed on the Lauren and Puck interaction and one brow raised in thought.<br>As a small drop of honey remained caught on the corner of his bottom lip, Flint's eyes were widening too.

Trent noticed the broad-chested body that he was leaning on had picked up a definite tremor and turned to see what had Flint so nervous.

"You...your m-mouth...corner." Flint stammered as Trent's expressive face asked his question silently.

A smirk began to appear on Trent's face and finally Flint could take no more, reaching out a finger which only slightly shook as he caught the sweet droplet on his fingertip.

Trent smiled as he felt the featherlike touch against his lip.

It probably wasn't fair to do what he did next, but it was amusing.

Flint gasped as Trent's pink tongue took the drop of honey back from his finger and his face reddened.

"Mm, tasty." Trent murmured, "More?"

Flint's other hand dropped his fork into the thick bed of wildflowers that grew around their table.

.

.

The elevator chimed and Santana and Brittany walked in arm in arm.

Brittany had woven the most recent crop of the purple climbing roses into her hair and was also wearing a freshly made necklace of daisies.

"So Puckerman, which one of them do you think had their V-card punched well and truly last night?"

Santana gestured with her free hand, indicating the floral decorations across the walls and floor.

"The street outside is covered in flowers too." Mike Chang said, his jogging outfit indicating exactly how he knew this, "And every building in a six block radius apparently."

Puck bit his lip and increased the puppy eyes at Lauren.

She stared him down.

Santana poured a coffee and she and Brittany sat with Puck and the others.  
>"Well, we know that Klaine seem to be the ones who usually summon the carnations and chrysanthemums."<p>

"And orchids and bamboo and lilies!" Brittany added.

"And Jeff and Dave seem to be responsible for the roses every time."Tina smiled as Mike stole a bite from her croissant. "Hey! Do they have a nickname yet?"

"I've been calling them 'Karling', it's the mash up of Karofsky and Sterling. It sounds sweeter than Deff or Jave."  
>Steffi was pushing Artie's chair while he held their breakfasts on the tray on his lap.<p>

"Hey you two, where is Hope?" Lauren asked smiling at them as Steffi sat back down.

"Her new Grandma Judy took her this morning while I helped Dr Lopez handle this one at his first proper rehab session." Steffi squeezed Artie's shoulder affectionately. "He's a bit of a rebel you know."

"It's going to take several months of hard work to get my muscles back to a level where they can actually support me, "Artie said, "But I'm...I..."

His face betrayed the depths of his feelings and even Santana was moved to reach over and squeeze his hand.

"Anyway, "Santana said, trying to brush off her moment of caring, "If Karling made roses and Klaine made their usual flowers, where did the daisies come from?"

"I love daisy chains!" Brittany said brightly looking over with concern as Puck seemed to choke on his coffee.

"And what is with the fruit trees in the elevators?" Santana continued.

"Cherries!" Brittany grinned, "Klaine cherries!"

Lauren squeezed Puck's hand as he inhaled another mouthful of coffee.  
>"I'm really proud of you baby."<p>

The elevator chimed again and Wes and David walked into the boardroom with their arms around each other's waists.

"Those two know Jeff and Blaine best," Santana muttered to Puck.

"So who was it that lost their virginity last night then?"She asked loudly.

David and Wes both stopped in their tracks, the looks on their faces ones of sheer horror.  
>A few seconds later, David buried his face in the crook of Wes's neck and both boys faded from sight as David activated one of his magical powers.<p>

The friends sitting at Puck's table stared at where they had been for a few more seconds, then they all turned to look at each other in shock.

"Well...damn." Puck said softly. His face paled and he turned to meet Lauren's gaze.

"It's ok honey, that one is allowed."

"Why did you make Wes and David feel so embarrassed they had to go all fuzzy?" Brittany asked Santana as she stood up and moved behind Artie's chair, pulling him away from the table slightly.

Santana was still shocked, and feeling more than a little guilty.  
>"Britt, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't realise...Wes? David? If you haven't phased through the floor or something, I'm sorry guys. Me and my mouth sometimes go off half cocked you know. Britt baby! Please don't be mad, come back here and sit with me. Please"<p>

Britt smiled at her girlfriend, "I'm not mad Tanny. I just don't want to get wet."

Santana frowned in confusion before gasping in surprise as the pitcher of water on their table was picked up by an invisible hand and poured over her with a loud splash and a tinkle of ice cubes.

Everyone waited for her to explode.

Santana sighed.

"I guess I deserved that. Sorry guys."

Wes and David appeared, blushing but still proudly in each other's arms.

"Sorry Satan, but you looked like you needed to cool off a little." Wes said as David handed her a posy of daisies he had just picked from the floor nearby.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It was like his senses were being overloaded by stimulus.

Blaine Anderson knew he was asleep, but his unconscious mind was still able to process sensory data from around him and draw conclusions from it.  
>The only problem was, his unconscious mind was obviously mad.<p>

He was dreaming, he decided.

Yes, that was it.

He was dreaming a very, very weird dream.  
>Blaine was swimming, but not in a pool.<br>Blaine was dreaming about swimming in...

A freshly baked peach pie.

The smell of peaches was so strong, but he and Kurt had both become accustomed to a certain level of that fragrance from the abundant crop borne by the tree which continued to grow at the head of their bed, its branches arching over them as they slept.

The smell had never been quite this strong though.

Blaine's skin was warm, almost painfully so, but instead of being frightened, he felt safe, comforted, wrapped up in love.  
>As he began to rise towards full wakefulness, he smiled at the crazy inventiveness his sleeping mind had used to weave such a strange dream.<br>The air-conditioning in the hotel must have broken down, or perhaps there had been a power failure.  
>Perhaps he and Kurt had gotten wrapped up in the comforter they liked to sleep beneath and with the summer heat no longer held at bay by modern technology...<p>

It still didn't explain why the smell of peaches was so strong.  
>Blaine smiled again as he felt Kurt's sleeping mind beginning to reach out to him, and to its own state of consciousness, his tongue slipping from his mouth over the rows of razor sharp teeth that...<p>

Wait a minute.

Blaine and Kurt both surged to full waking as Blaine's mind finally registered that something was...wrong?

They were in the tree.

Ok, technically, they were sleeping ON the uppermost branches of their peach tree.  
>Ok, to be more accurate still, they were hovering in the air a few inches above the branches.<br>Blaine was in his dragon form...when did that happen?

Kurt was...the Phoenix

.

_Blaine? Why are we flying about twenty feet over our perfectly comfortable bed?_

_No idea honey, although I think we're actually just...lying in the air, not actually 'flying' per say..._

_And you call me the pedant?_

_At least Mr Trump's apartment has really, really high ceilings_

_Blaine, why are you frowning...and don't try to tell me you aren't, even in this shape I can still read you like a book. A really easy book._

_I'm trying to work out when and why I decided to change into Dragon mode_

_Oh...Blaine...I have wings!_

.

Kurt was also in his alternate form, a huge bird made of flames.

"Well, that explains why I'm so warm!" Blaine quipped as Kurt and he used their long sinuous necks to examine how they were...lying.

"Blaine, your Dragon is even more of a koala than your human form! You are completely wrapped around me."

"Actually Kurt, in a few places, mostly your wings, I'm actually wrapped...um...through you!"

.

Kurt and Blaine pondered that for a while.

"I guess you really are made of fire Kurt, which is kind of freaky, because you feel so solid at the same time."

Kurt was silent, his huge glasz eyes meeting Blaine's as the two creatures moved their heads so their gazes could meet.

"Blaine...does this...oh God, I really apologise for asking this but..."

"No Kurt, "Blaine's voice was still as familiar and comforting as ever, despite issuing from a thirty foot long silver scaled dragon, "I don't think this qualifies as sex."

"Blaine, parts of you are passing through my body."

"I think it's more of a really intense hug."

"So we haven't...?"

Blaine's amazing mental abilities pondered this question.

"No Kurt, "he finally answered, "Just think of it as...um...yeah, I got nothing"

"Oh look, more flowers. Damn, Puck is going to be insufferable about this. What do I tell him this time? He already knows about third base. What the hell do we call this? Base three point five?"

"I'm more concerned about how we got into this position, and more importantly, how we get out?"

"I haven't burned you have I?" Kurt asked suddenly.

"No! Actually, it feels kind of wonderful. I was dreaming about swimming in a giant freshly baked peach pie."

"Blaine...you are seriously weird."

"Hey! I don't judge you when you are weird."

"When am I weird Blaine? I want dates and times."

"Well... there was..."

"That doesn't count, that was a sale at Bergdorf's Blaine. Just be content to be the weird one in this partnership, ok?"

"Yes dear. So how do we go about...? I don't want to hurt you by just..."

"If we change back I wonder..."

Before Kurt could finish that thought Blaine and he found themselves drifting apart slightly, until both mythic creatures remained wound around each other, but no longer...intersecting.

"Oh, well, that was easy." Blaine said, "I'll change back..."

"No!" Kurt said too late as Blaine's human body fell several feet before Blaine caught himself on one of the branches of the peach tree.

"Oops." Blaine said colouring slightly.

"Blaine..."Kurt frowned, also back in his human form, but using his power of flight to hover next to where his boyfriend dangled from the tree, "I think you failed to properly appreciate the gravity of the situation!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Shopping was fun.

Shopping with an unlimited credit card was... lots and lots and lots of fun.

Kurt and his posse had already swept through three floors of Macy's, leaving a trail of bruised and shell-shocked sales staff behind them.  
>Now they had met up with some of the others and were heading to where Kurt had been building up to all morning.<p>

Tina and Mercedes smiled at each other as they watched Nick bringing another blush to the cheeks of one Ms Quinn Fabray.

"They are so damned cute together, "Mercedes whispered, "And Nick really seems to have helped Quinn cope with the whole 'immortal faerie queen' thing."

"He has a real aura of calm about him doesn't he?" Tina replied, "Quinn seems really happy."

Tina twitched her bag higher onto her shoulder and adjusted the long gloves she was wearing to minimise any attention to her silver arm.

"I'm so glad Kurt thought of getting our shopping delivered to the hotel, " She said a little louder, "It was getting heavier and heavier."

Kurt looked back from where he was chatting to Jeff, Wes and David and smiled at her.

"Kurt, do you feel a bit weird too? This is the first time I've been further than a few feet away from Dave for days, and I... I miss him? Does that sound too weird?"  
>Jeff seemed only a little embarrassed by his feelings as he asked the question.<p>

"It's a little odd, "Kurt replied, "But Blaine will look after him."

"Why did the two of you insist on splitting up for the day anyway Kurt?" Wes asked, his hand slipping easily into David's as they walked together, "What if something bad happens?"

"Nothing bad is going to happen. " Kurt replied calmly, "And even if it does, we're not helpless on our own you know."

"Where exactly are we going?" Quinn asked softly as they continued to walk along the busy street, "We kept Wes, Nick and David waiting for twenty minutes remember, and we need to make sure we get to where we're meeting Blaine and the others for lunch at one."

"Blaine and I decided that we need to get something out of the way, for you guys, and that today was the best time to begin the process. So, we discussed things thoroughly and we're going to 'surprise' each other as we agreed. But to do that, I thought it would be nice for each of us to involve some of our mutual friends in the process of choosing said surprises. So, while Blaine and his group are currently frightening the staff at the store I chose for my amazing and totally unexpected surprise, we are here to help me choose a 'surprise' for Blaine."

Tina and Mercedes gasped as the realised where they were.

Quinn looked up at the iconic store and smiled as she nodded.  
>"Darn it, it's too late for breakfast now isn't it?"<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Harry Winston's?" Rachel asked.

Blaine nodded, smiling at her confusion.

"But Kurt..." Rachel was puzzled, "Why would Kurt send us here? I mean, we both have a deep spiritual connection to..."

She pointed across the street and up a block and a half to where the iconic store she and Kurt had bonded in front of stood.

"...I know Rachel, "Blaine smiled in response, "But Kurt has always dreamed of buying something from there, and we agreed to shop at different places, to at least give each other a chance at being surprised. This place is also on his list of approved purveyors of the stylish you know."

Finn was still frowning at the tasteful signage and lack of window display.  
>"I don't get it. What does this place sell? The name seems so familiar..."<p>

"Think of Marilyn Monroe Finn, or Madonna, or Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge." Dave was trying to be helpful, but he could see that Finn was still struggling.  
>Trent and Flint rolled their eyes at each other as they wondered how someone who lived with Kurt could be so ignorant.<p>

Finn opened his eyes wide.  
>"You're buying Kurt a bra? Dude, I don't think he's going to see the joke..."<p>

"Oh my God Finnal Straw!" Santana snapped, her mood already on edge due to an extended separation from Brittany, "Diamonds! Jewellery! Fancy Bling!"

She winked at Blaine.  
>"And yes Mr Anderson, I will accept a gift of diamonds from you, but you still don't get to touch anything below the knees."<p>

Blaine blushed slightly and shook his head in amusement.  
>"Kurt and I have already discussed that...the gift part I mean, not the...oh God...Kurt warned me about you without him around to even you out...anyway, I hope you choose something nice, and a matching something for Britt. That goes for all of you, but if your significant other is with Kurt, I suggest you just buy a gift for them, since Kurt is going to be helping them buy something for you guys that will be infinitely better and more tasteful than anything I can suggest."<p>

"I suppose you and Kurt have already discussed and decided what you are getting each other?"  
>Rachel seemed sure of herself.<p>

Blaine nodded and smiled slightly, "We discussed it in generalities, not specifics, just what kind of item to choose for each other. We really don't need or want another ring, not even as a..."

His voice trailed off.

"Having trouble saying the words 'wedding ring' are we Mr Dapper-butt?" Santana drawled.

Blaine shook his head, his eyes darting around the busy street, his ears straining to hear...something.

"Everyone...get inside, now!" He snapped, grabbing Finn and Rachel by the hands and guiding them to the doors.

Dave frowned at Blaine's manner and began to examine the street himself.

.

_Jeff? Jeff, are you ok? Something is freaking Blaine out down here._

_What's up Bird? And where is 'here'?_

_You're at Tiffany's aren't you? We're down the street a couple of blocks, at Harry Winston's_

_Is something wrong? Are you safe? I'm on my way_

_No! Stay there. I'm fine. Blaine is doing the whole Spidey-sense thing, it's kind of freaky to watch but so far nothing untoward has happened._

_Dave? Dave? What's wrong with Blaine? I can't reach him, he's blocking me out somehow._

_Kurt? How can I hear you?_

_I can hear him too Dave, and I mean inside my head, not just because he's standing next to me._

_When did this happen?_

_Who asked that? Dave or Jeff? You sort of sound the same to me._

_I can tell you from Dave though, Kurt, you sound less 'present' than he does to my mind_

_No one has told me what's wrong with Blaine yet!_

_I'm fine honey, but there's something terribly wrong with the street, I was concentrating on finding out what it was so hard it must have blocked you out for a second._

_Ok, this is definitely new, oh, this is Dave by the way, you guys are hard to tell apart for me, but I can recognise you fine Snuffy. Did we know we could do this? I thought this sort of communication only happened between really lucky Godmother pairings?_

_As Lord T keeps muttering under his breath, I think Blaine and I sort of broke the rulebook and danced around on the pieces some time ago._

_Kurt! Get off the street! Get everyone inside NOW!_

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine's mental voice sounded desperate, and Kurt's party suddenly found an enormous gust of wind almost carrying them, and several passers-by into the relative safety of the iconic jewellery store.

Even as the doors closed several black SUVs screeched around the corner, machine guns firing from all windows as they sped along the street.

"Oh good heavens." Kurt muttered, "Cliché anyone?"

Tiffany and Co was a New York institution, a world-wide cultural icon and a much visited tourist spot.  
>It was also a high end jewellery store.<br>Bullets screamed into the glass windows and doors... and stopped.

"Everyone, please remain calm." The manager was speaking over a storewide PA system. "We have locked the doors and the attackers will be unable to penetrate them. The bulletproof glass is well over two inches thick and we should be safe provided everyone remains calm. Staff members will be escorting you to a secure area further from the street. Please comply with their instructions."

An explosion was heard from outside the crazed glass of the doors, but it was too distant to have been caused by whoever continued to direct the stream of bullets at them.

"What the hell was that?" Mercedes muttered, wishing she had not talked Sam into spending the day at Disneyworld with his brother and sister courtesy of the 'Burt Express'.

.

_Kurt, honey, I was about to come help you, but the building across the road from us just blew up, I think I'm needed here. Please, keep the others safe._

.

"I heard Blaine talking to you Kurt, but I couldn't make out all the words." Jeff was almost panicking, "And now I can't feel Dave's presence in my mind. I know he's alive, but he can't talk to me. I need to get to him Kurt. If people are hurt, you know what he's going to do, and if I'm not there to heal him he's going to die trying to take all their injuries."

Kurt nodded, "Stay here everyone. We need to get to the others, I agree, but you guys can't go out there while they're shooting. I'd be ok, but you aren't exactly bullet proof. "

"I am." Tina said, her face solemn.

The others looked at her in confusion.

"Coach Sylvester shot me a few times the other night, to test it out. Silver skin is totally bullet proof, it doesn't even sting...much."

"And bullets can't hurt me if I'm phasing." Wes said, "You better stay here though honey, I can only go ghostly with you while I'm touching you, and I can't risk slipping or letting go while there are bullets flying. Invisibility won't help protect you when the air is full of randomly aimed lead, will it?"

David scowled but nodded in agreement.

"Shall we?" Kurt stood. "David, how many people can you cover?"

"I can cover the rest of us."

Quinn nodded as she understood what Kurt had planned.  
>"We'll wait by the door, when you have them under control, David can shield us all from sight and we can get up the street to help the others. Nick, go with them."<p>

None of the group knew what Nick's powers might be, but obviously Quinn was confident enough in his resistance to damage to willingly send him into a fire fight.

Nick saw the concern on their faces.

"Don't worry." He smiled, "I am my lady's sworn knight and protector."

A gleaming suit of metal armour and a huge broadsword appeared on his short but muscular form.  
>He looked down at himself.<p>

"But for this fight I think..."

Before their eyes his armour flowed into a dark bodysuit, with Kevlar and steel protecting his entire frame.  
>The knight's helm changed into a full face mask made of some sort of transparent metal while the enormous broadsword thinned and curved until a razor sharp katana gleamed in the subdued lighting of the store.<p>

The deputy manager, her named badge reading 'Stacey', who had been about to speak to the group of teenagers clustered dangerously close to the doors, paled and blinked in confusion.

The group turned to her.

"I recognise you." She said softly, "From the concert. I was in the balcony at Radio City. You...you sang to the baby, and you...you're the angel's boyfriend, aren't you?"

Jeff nodded.

"Hi...Stacey, yes, Dave and I are...together."

"I wanted to...I...thank you...thank you for saving us. I was so scared. I was there with my brother. I thought we were going to die. I...we both offered our lives for you, you know. Are you going to go out there and stop them? I'll... I will need to find the manager and get him to open the doors."

"I can do it honey, don't worry." Kurt offered the distraught woman a tissue from his bag. "Ok. Those of us who are bulletproof, get ready to rumble."

"Kurt!" Quinn suddenly reached her hand out to him, "Your jacket!"

Kurt blinked and bit his lip slightly.  
>"Wow, thanks Quinn."<p>

He removed the crisp linen blazer he had been wearing and offered it to her, along with the scarf.

"Vintage Dior, "Mercedes explained to the fashion challenged among them.

"It would be a crime against fashion if it got hit by bullets." Tina added, "Not to mention the possibility of it getting burnt up."

Stacey looked confused for a second, but accepted the statements at face value.  
>The Lima teens and she were the only people left in the storefront now.<p>

"Ok, time to put our game faces on. I'll open the door for a few seconds, while holding an illusion of it being closed so they won't try to rush us. If I drop, just try to make sure I'm not near anything flammable or under a car or something, I don't want to make things worse out there explosion wise I mean."

Stacey made a conscious effort to take her confusion and disbelief and lock it away inside her. After the other night, nothing was going to be discounted or disbelieved ever again.

Tina took her gloves and jacket off, revealing her silver arm.  
>The gleaming metal flowed across her skin and after a second she stood there wielding two silver blades, looking like a particularly deadly statue.<p>

"Mike is going to be so pissed he went to the UN with Pang and his dad. He loves a good rumble."

"Hurry guys! Dave needs me!" Jeff was trying to reach the other boy but having no luck.

"I'll go distract them while you get through the doors." Wes said sharply.

Then he ran straight through the wall of the store and out into the gunfire.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine 'shouted' his warning to the others and seconds later he heard the sounds of gunfire from up the street.  
>He relaxed the inhibitions he had placed upon his Speech and using all the power in his lungs and magic shouted to the street.<p>

"Everyone, get inside immediately. Move into cover, NOW!"

Finn and Rachel hesitated in the doorway, but a look from Blaine made them realise that without magical powers of their own, they would only be a burden to the others.

The hesitation, however, was enough.

Without further warning, several of the upper windows of the building across the street exploded outwards, sending razor sharp shards of glass and other dangerous debris plummeting to the ground.

Dave's wing swept out wide as he sought to protect several stray pedestrians from the debris.

From the shattered windows and around the corner of the cross streets, figures in body armour wielding guns and knives began to shoot, or rappel down to the street level.  
>They seemed intent on storming the jewellery store.<p>

"Incoming!" Blaine noted the numbers and positions of the enemy. He allowed more of his magic into his next words.

"Rachel, Finn, get behind Dave. Um... people who were just walking past...get behind the big hunky angel and try to stay calm. Trent, Flint, you take the left, you have about fourteen to handle. Santana, you take the right, looks like about twenty guys. I'll handle the middle. Try not to get hurt, Dave can't heal you without Jeff here to keep him alive. Dave, don't die, ok? Kurt would never live with himself if you died. You mean too much to him, to both of us. The others will be here soon. Ok, break!"

Flint and Trent moved to face the downtown side of the fight.  
>Flint's eyes narrowed as he began to concentrate on forming a shield of mental force to stop the bullets getting close to those behind him.<br>Trent reached beneath his own usually calm and gentle nature and focused on his anger and indignation at those who would try to hurt the innocent.

Amongst the oncoming fighters, guns and bayonets began to glow red hot, causing their wielders to be forced to drop them.

.

Santana moved to face the squad of terrorists coming at the group from uptown.

The men sneered as they took in her slender form.  
>The tight miniskirt and tank combination left no places to hide armour, or weapons.<p>

Santana smiled at them.

It wasn't a pleasant smile.

She reached up to her head and removed the silver barrette that had been holding her lustrous black hair away from her face.

"You know guys...I only have one thing to say to you. Razor blades...in my hair...hundreds of them... all up in there..."

As if it possessed a life of its own her hair began to move and writhe...and grow.

Razor sharp, unbreakably strong strands of coal black hair snapped out, catching or deflecting the bullets the men were sending towards Santana and those sheltering behind her.  
>The terrorists stopped about fifteen feet from her in shock.<p>

"You really shouldn't piss me off boys." Santana purred, 'I'm already having a bad hair day."

The sparkling cloud of her hair grew even more, and snapped forward suddenly.

There was some screaming.

.

Blaine analysed the forces heading towards him.  
>About twenty or thirty guys, all armed with machine guns, bullets could drop me and I don't have time to regenerate, so I'll need a form normal bullets can't hurt.<p>

He turned to the civilians who had been trapped on the street and who were now clustered in the shelter of Dave's glowing white wings.  
>"Ok guys, just remember. I'm on your side, ok?"<p>

Forty feet of gleaming sliver dragon leapt through the air towards the oncoming aggressors.

"Oh my god! "One of the people cowering said, "It's the dragon that saved the city from the bomb! He's back. He's real!"

"He's gorgeous! "A young woman whispered to her friend as they sat against the wall of Harry Winston's and peeked through the feathers of Dave's wings.

"As a dragon or as a guy?" Her friend asked quietly.

"Either...both. I wonder if he's single?"

"He's not the only gorgeous one, "Her friend whispered, silently indicating the khaki clad legs and butt of the man sheltering them with his wings.

"Chandler! "The girl exclaimed, "You are incorrigible. I'm going to miss you so much when your folks move to Ohio."

"We're from Ohio!" Rachel reached a hand out to introduce herself, "I'm Rachel Berry, and this is Finn, my boyfriend."

"Madison," the young girl smiled shyly, "And this is my best friend, Chandler."

She poked the slender blond boy in the ribs.

"Chandler! Stop staring at the angel's butt and say hello."

Chandler looked down, still slightly flustered and his eyes widened.

"Oh my God! You're the girl who sang with Barbra! Do you know these...people? I don't suppose any of them are gay? A boy can dream though, right?"

"I'm gay, but I'm also very, very happily attached. " Dave's deep voice rumbled from above them as small spots of blood began to appear on his body. Despite the efforts of the Lima crew, people were getting hurt.

"You remind me a lot of my friend Kurt, that's Blaine's boyfriend...although I agree with Kurt's dad. Blaine and Kurt are really more married than anything else these days. Blaine is the dragon by the way." Rachel paused for breath.

"We meet a group of freakish, super beings and two of them are gay? This is so awesome!" Chandler seemed almost pleased to be under attack.

"You have no idea." Finn snorted, "Madison, I think you, me and Rachel might be the only straight teens here."

"Finn is Kurt's stepbrother, "Rachel continued as if uninterrupted, "Flint and Trent are a couple..."

She pointed down the street a little way where Flint and Trent were holding hands while they wiped away the remaining attackers.

"...and Santana is a lesbian."

"You're lucky she's too busy to hear you, "Rumbled Dave again, "You know she hates being labelled."

"Um...Dave wasn't it?" Chandler asked, concern filling his voice, "Are you ok? We don't seem to be getting many bullets out way now, so why are you bleeding? Do you need to sit down?"

Rachel and Finn noticed that Dave was shaking visibly now, and his blue T-shirt and Khaki shorts were streaked with fresh blood.

"Dave! You can't. Jeff isn't here yet, you could die." Rachel was terrified.

"If I don't take their wounds, people in this street are going to die. "Dave said, pain filling his voice, "There are a few up in the offices where the bombs went off that are already nearly gone. I think I can hang on long enough if I heal them slowly. I won't let them die though, not while I have it in my power to..."

Another explosion rocked the street and Dave collapsed, only Chandler's quick reflexes prevented his skull from bouncing off the pavement, the young boy throwing his own body under the falling form to prevent the injury.

"Dave!" Finn exclaimed.

Blood was flowing freely across Dave's face and torso as more and more wounds, abrasions and now burns appeared.

"He's...he's healing everyone in the street? Isn't he?" Madison was pale.

"No, " Rachel said softly, "He's taking their wounds for them. If his boyfriend was here, he can heal Dave, but without him, it's going to kill him."

"So make him stop." Madison whispered.

"I... I remember now. "Chandler was also whispering, "The concert, there were...things...Dave died, and...and...is his boyfriend a really cute blond? He died too, but that was wrong. And I felt...and I wished that I could save them...and...and they lived."

"I remember too." A businessman in a blue suit was helping lift Dave's barely conscious form off Chandler. "I prayed for them."

"Jeff..."Dave's voice was weak, "I'm sorry Snuffy...I'm...I love you...tell him...Rachel, tell them all I..."

His eyes were fluttering shut, the healing magic fading.

"No." Rachel said, causing Finn's eyes to snap to her face in shock.

"No Dave, "Rachel reached over and somehow, despite her tiny size, managed to lift the dead weight of the huge linebacker into her lap. "I don't have any magic, I know, but Lord Tubbington said that the magic is powered by emotion, and I have plenty of that. I won't let you die David Karofsky, I won't!"

She began to sing to the still form in her arms. After a few seconds, Finn joined her.

"Rachel?" He asked hesitantly, "This...this is a Christian hymn...isn't it?"

Rachel simply nodded, pointing to the small silver cross Dave was wearing around his neck.

She sang as tears fell from her eyes.

Where each tear fell, it washed away a little of the blood that still covered the dying angel.

Around them, the rest of the frightened crowd joined in to the hymn, all of them praying in their own fashion for the life of the Angel who had tried to stand between them and harm.

Dave's eyes opened and breath shuddered back into his body.  
>He looked up into the eyes of the girl who cradled him in her arms.<p>

"Your eyes are full of stars..." He whispered.

Rachel didn't stop singing as she poured every atom of love she could into his healing form.

The sounds of fighting drew to a halt slowly, then a flicker from nearby drew everyone's attention to where a small group of teenagers had just seemingly appeared from thin air.

"Dave!"

Jeff threw himself into Dave's arms and with a flash of silver everyone's wounds disappeared totally.

"Took you long enough guys." Santana said snarkily as she tucked her hair back into her barrette.

"We had some shopping to complete." Tina smiled, pulling her long gloves back on, "And a whole lot of unconscious terrorists to stack up for the police."

"No one died at your fight?" Blaine asked breathlessly, flickering out of his dragon form and back into his human shape.

"Just Kurt." Mercedes said, "He threw himself on a grenade. Quinn is just helping him make some new clothes."

"Make?" Trent asked.

"I am the Weaver, remember." Quinn smiled at them as Kurt descended from the sky with her in his arms, his clothes rewoven and sparkling new.

Quinn smiled even more broadly as Nick drew her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

.

"Oh my God!" Chandler whispered. "That's it, my eyes have died and gone to heaven."

"Yes, Kurt is just as handsome as his husband, isn't he?" Rachel smiled proudly.

"No, I mean, yes he is...totally gorgeous but...seriously, tell me, is that a genuine vintage Dior blazer?"

.

.

.


	59. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

**Hi all! Yes, it's ME again, and this time without the months and months of silence and waiting!**

**I apologise if you find yet another excess of talky talkity talk in this chapter, but it just sort of thrust itself in there and I couldn't find it in me to say no to it (it used PUPPY eyes, darn it to heck, sneaky emotions)**

**Thanks so much for the lovely warm reviews and messages etc. I know, Chandler! Who'd a thunk it? He just popped in there. I suppose he had to have a life before moving to the wilds of Lima to act as a dramatic foil for our two favourite loved up ex-warblers.**

**Anyway – I promise more action in the next chapter – I'm already trying to wrestle it into submission, but it's hard (and mean).  
>Also – I've had a few ideas for little drabbles, one shots and small related chapters that are set in this weird universe that has sort of grown up around me, but that don't fit (or can't be fitted) into the narrative (of this story) so...I'm thinking of creating a sort of "companion" story, where all those sort of drabbles etc can go.<br>I've had a few people offering suggestions for spin off or behind-the –scenes stories too. I have a hard time trying to write this darn thing, so if you have an idea, why not write it yourself and if you do, send me the details and I shall try to mention them here (or in the new story) (if of course I get off my bum and write the darn thing)**

**Just an idea, anyway please keep the reviews etc up, you really have no idea how much they make me feel like living is worth the struggle some days.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own or write or invent for Glee or Fox or anyone important. If you down any of these things, please talk to me and maybe I can borrow some of them sometime?**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The unconscious bodies of the terrorists were stacked, in neat piles of five, on the sidewalk outside Harry Winston's.

"Well...that happened." Tina drawled softly as she watched Kurt, Jeff and Dave flying in and out of the blown out windows of the building opposite, ferrying the freshly uninjured, thanks to Dave's powers, to the pavement below.

Flint and Santana had finished stacking the criminals and their weapons and now were both using their powers to sweep the road and sidewalk clean of even the smallest particle of broken glass.  
>Trent was taking the piles of glass and metal they created and frowning at them, melting the shrapnel into beautiful coloured glass shards which he then passed to Nick and Tina who polished them with their protected hands into glistening, smooth edged pendants, beads and jewels.<p>

Blaine and Quinn were speaking quietly to the people who had been trapped on the pavement when the attack occurred as well as those who had watched it all happen from inside the locked doors.

Wes and David were nowhere to be seen.

"Why are you making jewellery?" Madison asked softly, her arm still around her friend Chandler, but her face much calmer than before. "Why not just leave it there? The street cleaners can deal with it later, can't they?"

Trent looked up from his concentration and allowed a smile to clear away his 'working frown'.

"I suppose they could, but we're here now, and it's not taking long. Why let the street be messy or dangerous a second longer than it needs to be?"

Madison nodded. "But why make pendants out of it?"

"You ask, why make jewellery?" Kurt asked as he landed beside them, "You are right. Trent could just melt it all down into a pile of slag, or between the two of us, I suspect we could vaporise it completely. But why not make something pretty out of it? There's always room for a little more beauty in the world."

"It's not really jewellery anyway, "Trent muttered, "Nothing to attach it to a pin or ring or a chain with."

"Try these." Tina handed over a small pile of pendant loops and brooch pins which had small claws open and ready to place the colourful glass jewels into."

"Where did you get those?" Chandler asked.

"Retrieved some of the shuriken I threw." Tina grinned, plucking the last throwing star from the barrel of the machine gun she had 'shot' from a terrorist's hands and allowing it to reabsorb into the metal skin of her arm. "And I thought, I bet I can change their shape if I try..."

"Can I have one, as a souvenir?" Madison asked.

"Of course!" Trent pressed a piece of the coloured glass into the pendant backing and gently 'welded' it closed. "Anyone who wants one can take one. You'll need a chain or something to wear it though."

"Lucky we're outside one of New York's best jewellery stores then isn't it?" Madison smiled.

"Any word from Wes and David yet?" Dave asked as he landed next to them.

Mercedes walked up to them too, hanging up her phone as she did.  
>"Sam says hi. I tried to convince him not to race back but he's going to tell the others and then he's calling your dad Kurt to come and get them. Santana, Brit says she can't decide whether to get you a witch's hat from the Harry Potter shop or mouse ears so she's getting Carole to sew them together. I did get them to go straight back to the hotel though, so we better get moving if we want to meet them there."<p>

"Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this scene?" Rachel said as Kurt and the others joined the larger group standing in the shade of the Harry Winston's building.

"You mean aside from the fact that these terrorists are dressed in truly appalling mass produced camouflage fatigues?" Kurt muttered. "I mean, seriously, it's a street battle, what on Earth, or Faerie, is the use of material designed to help you blend into a jungle? Plus, I'm pretty sure that material is an inferior and somewhat notorious poly/cotton blend that has been proven to cause skin rashes. If my planet is going to be menaced by well armed fighters, I demand they be well dressed too."

"And don't even get us started on the cliché value of black SUVs with blacked out windows!" Blaine added.

"You guys sound like you've been talking about this...oh, did you have a whole telepathic conversation with each other during that fight?" Rachel asked.

"No, afterwards. Telepathy doesn't take long." Blaine said smiling at her.

"Anyway, "Rachel said smiling back, "I still get the feeling that we've missed something here. This scene looks wrong I mean...something is missing."

"Where are the police?" one of the businesswomen who had been rescued asked. "Not that I don't feel safe enough with you guys here to...save me."

She had her eyes roaming freely across the muscular form of Dave Karofsky as she spoke, which was making him nervous for some reason.  
>Dave took a step closer to Jeff, who surreptitiously slipped his hand into the larger boy's.<br>Dave looked at Jeff's face for a second, then took a breath and removed his hand from Jeff's grasp, slipping his arm around the slender boy's waist instead.

The woman sighed softly, made eye contact with one of her fellow workers and they both rolled their eyes and grinned ruefully at each other.

"Wes and David went scouting, in ghost form, to find out what happened to the authorities." Blaine said, "They were supposed to be back..."

.

The sound of a car engine could be heard, but no traffic was moving on the street yet.

Suddenly, a flicker of light attracted everyone's attention as a police car shimmered into visibility a few feet from them.  
>It was driving directly out of the solid wall of the building opposite.<p>

Wes and David were sitting in the front of it.  
>Wes was driving.<p>

Dave hissed with pain as massive bullet wounds appeared on his torso and arms, although it was only a second before Jeff's silver glow had healed him.

Lying down in the back seat of the car, they could see three unconscious police officers with bloodstained uniforms.

"The others are all dead." Wes said as he held the door open so Flint could levitate the two men and the woman out onto the sidewalk. "About three blocks that way. The radio is shot to pieces Kurt, can you fix it? This car was still running. When we realised these three were still breathing we just got them in and drove in a straight line back here. I didn't realise we could stretch our powers that far. All this exercise must be making us stronger."

The radio crackled back into life as Kurt stroked it gently and murmured soothing words to it.

They listened to the reports of multiple incidents across Manhattan.  
>Some had been relatively minor.<br>Some had had multiple casualties.  
>An attack in the theatre district had been completely foiled by an unidentified figure witnesses were describing as 'some sort of freaking wizard'.<p>

**::Any units able to investigate reports of explosions and gunfire Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Sixth Street::**

The teens looked at each other.

Kurt rolled his eyes and reached for the microphone.  
>Many around him were startled as he lowered his voice several tones until he was totally unrecognisable.<p>

"Situation under control Fifth Avenue, officers down at..."

Wes mouthed something to him silently.

"...Fifty Ninth and Madison."

**::Who is this? Identify yourself. Codeword Azure please::**

Kurt looked puzzled for a second as he thought about what that meant.  
>He pointed at the unconscious police officers lying on the sidewalk and then tapped his forehead meaningfully.<p>

Tina reached down and touched the most senior sleeping police officer, then looked at Kurt, frowning slightly.

"Lieutenant Gordon O'Malley, Midtown North Precinct, Azure response is..." He looked into Tina's eyes as she read the officer's unconscious mind. "...Rembrandt...send assistance to Fifty Ninth and Madison..."

Kurt winked at the radio and static began to break up his transmission.

"...repeat...Codeword Rembrandt...please...assistance..."

He hung the radio back up.

"That should confuse things a little, while still getting anyone there some help." He said in his normal voice. "So, it seems the police have begun using code words and phrases. Someone must have tried infiltrating them, or impersonating them. They'll be here too I expect, but only after they've checked out the situation at Madison Avenue. We better get out of here though, before they try to catch us and dissect us."

"Don't worry, we won't say a thing to anyone. " One of the businessmen they had rescued said.

The small group of witnesses all agreed.

"Who'd believe us anyway? " Chandler was staring at Wes and David as they stood beside the car with their fingers interlaced. "I mean, a group of teenaged superheros might be believable, but an entire group of gay superheros? Not even I believe that."

'Hey! " Said Finn, "I'm straight, so are Mercedes and Rachel."

"And Nick just acts really gay, "Jeff teased, "Although...he is dating a Queen now so I suppose..."

"Guys, it's a few blocks we need to walk, and we need to start now." Santana snapped.

Rachel gave Chandler and Madison one of the business cards she always carried on her, just in case she got discovered by a theatrical agent, and they hugged her back.

"No, this way." Quinn said as the group started towards the hotel. "I...I know a shortcut."

She led them away from the direction of Central Park and around the corner to a small garden that was growing in the atrium of one of the office complexes.

She walked towards the large peach tree that grew there, looking at it closely then nodding.

"Kurt, Blaine, you still have a peach tree growing in your room don't you?"

Kurt nodded, slightly blushing.

"Good. I hope you made your bed this morning and didn't leave anything embarrassing lying out in plain sight, because we are taking a short cut."

Quinn reached out her hand and touched the tree.

A portal filled with a chaotic rainbow of light opened in the tree's trunk.  
>Quinn turned to them as they looked at her in shock.<p>

"Titania left me a little bit more than a message in that letter. "She said softly, "So...anyone feel like a quick walk through Faerie?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The boardroom and rooftop garden of the Trump Hotel was beginning to look and feel a little like the situation room of the White House.

The returning heroes had quickly cleaned up and changed and hit the decks running.

Roberta had set up screen after screen on the walls, with a little help from Song Lee, and was live-streaming every report she could find on every radio or television channel, while simultaneously keeping the assembled heroes informed about fresh police reports and communications.

Ben-Davis and Artie were sitting at the large boardroom table using the enormous holographic scale map the phone had conjured to plot the location and severity of each confirmed incident.  
>Well, technically, Ben-Davis was sitting ON the table.<br>Ok, more accurately, crouching over the three dimensional illusion he had created and occasionally tweaking it to make it more accurate or clearer.

Artie really wished the phone-boys would just try to get their heads around the concept of clothing.  
>Or at least...stop moving about so much.<p>

Bramley had leapt into the cyber world to try to check up on the blocks and safeguards he, his boyfriend and Roberta had set up the night they had stopped the missiles from launching.

Luckily, neither Stevie nor Stacey Evans had been in the room when the phones had been saying goodbye to each other.  
>Puck was still crying, his face buried in Lauren's shirt while she gently rocked him and stroked his Mohawk.<p>

Trent and Flint had come back from grabbing a quick shower together, giggling like crazy people with grins on their faces and shiny new silver rings on their fingers.  
>They found Rachel and each gave her a huge hug.<p>

.

Across the room, Kurt, Blaine and some of the others were in deep discussion.

"...that certainly is how the power always worked in the past your maj...I mean, Ms Fabray." Lord Tubbington was nodding as the others finished their recounting of their teleport between the trees. "As you grow in power, you will eventually be able to connect trees of a different species that way, and eventually any two plants on the planet will be yours to use as a doorway as you will it."

"So we can't use it as a way to get to Faerie then?" Nick was depressed by this news, "Quinn just uses Faerie to pass through when she makes those portals? I was kind of hoping that our problems were all solved."

"Speaking of problems being solved, "John Anderson said as he poured his wife a cup of coffee, "I thought Finn's wish had saved us all. Why is this still happening if the crisis has been averted?"

"Because the crisis hasn't been, not yet." Sue Sylvester growled at the man.

"Whatever Finn wished for, it stopped the forces of the Dark Fae from overwhelming us, maybe even destroyed most of them, "Wes reasoned, "It may even have saved us from the magical overload of Faerie's return, but it didn't do anything to the Ban-Sidhe's real world allies, it would seem."

::I can confirm that guys. So far the only incidents in the city that seem to include any sort of magical effects or powers are you guys in Fifth Avenue and the attack on the Al Hirschfield Theatre::

"Thanks Roberta!" Kurt was always polite.

Blaine was giggling and bouncing a little.

"I called Stephanie, "Emma Pillsbury said to Blaine quietly, "They cancelled his matinee after the attack. He's supposed to be performing tonight but if, as seems likely, that gets cancelled, she's going to try to pick him up and bring him here. You can meet him then."

"Did you hear Kurt? Did you hear that?" Blaine was vibrating like a small child on Christmas morning.

"I heard sweetie. Now, put the coffee down and step away from it, ok honey?"

.

Mike Chang was still enjoying being kissed by his girlfriend.

"...but do you want to know the best part Tina? I'm standing there with Mr Ban, and he's introducing my mom and dad to the Chinese ambassador and my dad suddenly turns to me and says 'Mike, I forgot to tell you this the other night, but you are an amazing dancer and I'm so proud of you.' Mom was crying and the ambassador was all confused and my dad just explained to them that the pride he had been feeling at his son being known and respected by the Secretary General of the United Nations had suddenly made him realise that he was proud of me for everything I was and did, not just my studies or what important people I knew. He said that. Aloud. He's proud of me."

Tina smiled and kissed him sweetly again.  
>"What did Grandpa Pang say?"<p>

"He said he was proud of my dad. Then he needed to find a bathroom. We were still looking for him when the announcement about the attacks happened. The whole building was thrown into lock-down mode. I'd still be there if the Russian ambassador hadn't finally found Pang in the interpreters' bathroom on the fifth floor and then I got him to cloud me and Coach Sylvester back here. Mom and Dad will be back as soon as the streets are cleared for travel again, or Burt or Pang could go get them if that takes too long."

"Speaking of which, I think Kurt is looking for us." Tina stood and quickly brushed her hand through Mike's hair to tidy it.

"How can you tell?" Mike said, leaning in for another kiss.

"She's psychic, remember?" Kurt's voice startled him as it came from a foot or so from behind him. "Mind reader?"

Mike looked at Kurt's bitchy expression for a few seconds, then at his girlfriend who simply shrugged, then back at Kurt, who was actually struggling to maintain his glare for the first time in...well, ever.

A few seconds later, all three of them were laughing.

.

"Right guys, here's what we've got so far." Blaine said slowly, his mind still multitasking away in the background. "We have multiple incidents, across the island. Manhattan seems to be the focal point. There were a few incidents up as far as Harlem, but nothing further south than the West Village and Fourteenth Street. Some attacks have been thwarted by the police or the National Guard who were here for the Fourth. Some places the terrorists or criminals or whoever the people were..."

"Let's call them 'assholes', "Puck said in a low and menacing tone.

"...suggestion noted Puck. Anyway, even at those incidents where the attackers were successful in their goal, they have subsequently gone to ground. Police and Guard units are reinforcing the Manhattan area and they've reopened the ports and the airports. Security is on high alert, but the crush of people trying to get back home after Independence Day celebrations here is too large to keep them closed any longer than absolutely necessary."

"They've got everything back under control?" Carole asked quietly.

"Mostly. "Blaine responded, "But they haven't noticed the pattern behind the attacks yet. Roberta and I have."

::There is going to be another wave of attacks I'm afraid, at different targets, but in the same basic areas. This time they'll be trying to cause maximum confusion and casualties::

Everyone's face turned grim as they listened to Roberta's voice.

"But why? What reason could they have for such random acts of violence?" Beau was sitting on one of the couches at the back of the room, his arm wrapped around a pale Song Lee.

"Same as the Ban-Sidhe perhaps? "Emma Pillsbury thought aloud, "Sow chaos and fear? "

"What if it's all a huge diversion?" Elaine Anderson was also thinking aloud.

"What if it's both?" Burt Hummel said gruffly, then blanched slightly as everyone in the room turned to stare at him. "What?"

"The Grease Gorilla has hit it!" Sue was nodding. "Cause confusion. Draw the enemy into the place you want them, and then strike at the real target. If the authorities fall for it, your real target is more vulnerable. If they don't send the forces to the city, then people die and get afraid, and most of the Ban-Sidhes' goals are fulfilled anyway."

"So, what is their real target then?" Wes asked, "And what should we be doing? Do we help out in the city or try to stop them taking their real target. Either way we'll need to spread ourselves pretty thin."

"I think we need to do both, "Will Schuester said softly, "We need to work out where each of us would be most useful, then get there."

"Does this mean we're going to have to 'come out of the phone booth', so to speak?" Jon asked from where he and most of the Warblers were standing, "As...I don't know, Superheros I mean, for want of a better term."

"We can make costumes! "Brittany exclaimed, "I've got a ton of material and sequins in my suitcases. And Kurt and Tina can help me make masks! I want a duck mask Tanny! Ducks are cool, except when they fly south for the winter. In school they taught me that they do that so they can stay warm, so maybe they aren't cool all the time. Do they go all the way south though? I know if you go far enough south you wind up at the South Pole, that's where the penguins live, when they aren't attacking Batman I mean. Does Mrs Claus live at the South Pole Blaine? We should totally visit her if she does. Maybe we could talk her into reconciling with Santa. He must get awfully lonely way up at the North Pole without even ducks to talk to. I mean, I suppose polar bears are kind of cool too but I still want a duck mask Santana."

"Great idea Britt!" Kurt exclaimed, glaring around the room to see if anyone was going to dare trample on the blonde girl's dreams, "But I don't know if we have time to finish masks for everyone, do we? I'd hate to have to let people miss out. Maybe we should start making the costumes and everything, but not wear them until everyone has a chance to try them on?"

"Ok!" Britt was just happy her suggestion had been heard.

"I actually think Brittany's idea has serious merit, "Blaine said nodding as he thought of something, "For some of us at least. Those likely to be out in view of the public might want to consider some sort of way to at least obscure their identity."

"That's a point too, "David said nodding, "How are we going to assign who goes where? Oh, and how do we stop the cops from shooting us? And does anyone have an idea what the 'real' target could be?"

"I would expect two main targets." Sue said quietly, "That's how I always taught them to work: Two primary objectives, with a third as a fallback position."

"The city!" Rachel exclaimed suddenly. "Where ever it is, it won't be in the city. They're trying to draw forces into Manhattan, so whatever the target is, they want the Army and everyone away from it."

"They'll want to cripple the hope of the city..."  
>"They'll try to kill as many people as possible..."<p>

Quinn and Sue looked at each other and their eyes widened.  
>For Sue, it was a painful reminder of old times.<p>

"We're lucky we aren't in San Francisco, "Brittany smiled, "I mean, the bad guys are trying to dishearten us. That's what Quinn's mom was saying before. And I heard Mr Bennett singing that song at the concert about leaving his heart there, and he said thousands of people do that every year, so the place must be full of hearts. It would be really hard to find which hearts the baddies were trying to... um... 'dis'. I've never used the word dis on its own before Santana, it's weird. So anyway, it would be really hard with all the hearts that people leave there to find the right ones to save. Why do people leave their hearts there anyway? I would have thought Hartford, Connecticut would have been a better place. Hey, does that mean that the place where those guys who wrote the songs that Kurt sings that make Blaine go all gooey and fudgy inside is full of Liver? I'd hate to go there, not because I hate liver, because I actually like liver, but I don't think it should be used as a flotation device, I mean, it's just not safe is it?"

"I thought you said the confusion spell was gone?" Steffi whispered to Santana as she sat beside her and Brittany.

"The Oracle has always been like this" Lord Tubbington whispered back before the Santana could respond, "It's part of being a seer. We might do well to listen to her though, she is often able to see patterns where we fail to."

"So, what would we consider the 'heart' of New York?" Emma said quietly.

"Central Park."  
>"Wall Street."<br>"The UN."  
>"Times Square."<p>

People were calling out places at random.

"No, Rachel was right I think, "Blaine said, "Wherever it is, it won't be on the island. What place or places could be considered as 'the heart' of New York that aren't on the island."

"Let's break it down." Wes was in analysis mode, "What does a heart do?"

"It pumps blood around the body." Trent said, taking it literally.

"It's where our hopes and dreams live." Rachel was anything but literal.

"Two targets then. Just like Coach said." Mercedes nodded to herself. "One literally the heart, one figuratively."

"Do cities have blood?" Tina asked.

"Money is the blood of the city." John Anderson said.

"No, people are." Will replied.

"Where do you think of when you think about New York? What is the symbol you imagine?" Emma was pursuing the other path.

"I'm more concerned about what David said before about the cops shooting us by mistake. I mean, they aren't going to know we're on their side, are they? It's not like they've called for us. 'Oh no, it's a terrorist invasion! Who are we going to call? Let's call a bunch of high school kids from Ohio!' As for the targets...this is starting to sound like more of those dumb prophecies. We won't know what place is being attacked until afterwards, and when we know, it will be too late, but everyone will sit here and it will be so obvious that that was always going to be the target. This is so much easier in the movies you know." People could tell Finn was worried.

He had his little 'worried' face on.

"Who ya gonna call!" Sam exclaimed.

"Of course!" Artie was a few seconds behind his line of thought, nodding furiously.

"You two are seriously starting to freak me out, "Mercedes drawled, 'Did you get a little mixed together when you guys were floating around in the cyber world?"

"Ghostbusters! The heart of New York!" Sam was truly excited that it was him who had worked it out. "They're going to go for Liberty!"

It was obvious once someone had said it aloud.

"One down one to go!" Kurt said.

"But how do we know Sam is right?" Rachel said softly, "No offence Sam!"

"He's right." Carole said nodding.  
>Even Burt was nodding.<p>

"It's a Godmother thing." Elaine Anderson explained, "One of the lesser advertised powers of the rings. You just...you just 'know' when something is right...or wrong. It's a little like a really weak, short term prophecy."

"So we just need to find out the other location then!" David said relieved.

"The literal heart?" Trent was still thinking about it.

"I agree with Mr Shue, people are the lifeblood of any city." Mike said nodding at his teacher.

"So we need to find a place that...what... pumps people in and out of it twenty-four seven? Wanky!" Santana was grinning.

"JFK!"  
>"The airport!"<p>

Sue and Quinn exchanged another meaningful look.

The Godmothers in the room felt the 'click' as the words were uttered and all nodded.

"Ok, "Finn said slowly, 'that was less Ghostbusters and more Children of the Corn. Could we keep the creepy synchronised nodding to a minimum please?"

"Finn! You used the word synchronised." Kurt said in shock, "And you used it correctly. Who are you?"

"I know some words."

"Well, we know our targets now. "Artie said, "Or rather, their targets. Who needs to go where?"

.

The discussion was long and almost heated, but finally the forces were arranged.

Most of the adults had powers that were purely defensive or passive, and would remain in the boardroom to coordinate communications.

Sue called the President and arranged for the National Guard and the police to be informed about a 'Special Task Force' that would be sending agents to assist.

Brittany and Carole and some of the others made uniforms and helmets for the ones joining the police in Manhattan, which would both protect their wearers from harm (Kevlar and armour plates) and act as communications devices in the tinted visors that were modelled on Nick's 'ninja' gear.

Nick, despite having powerful offensive and defensive powers was staying in the boardroom to protect Quinn.  
>Rachel, Finn, Steffi, Artie and Puck had all used their wishes for other things, and had no powers, so they were staying put too, with Lauren insisting on acting as a rear-guard with them.<p>

Mercedes, Sam, Azimio and the Berrys were assigned to Harlem.  
>The Warblers, along with Coach Bieste would be distributed around the rest of Manhattan.<br>Burt would remain in the boardroom with the other adults, using his teleport ability to move people quickly if they needed to change who was where.

The teams designed for the primary missions were the most difficult to sort out.

After many minutes of increasingly heated group discussion, Blaine looked sadly over to his boyfriend and made eye contact before sighing.

"Honey, I'm so, so sorry, but I think we're going to have to split up."

Everyone paused as shocked silence fell over the room.

"You're right darling, I understand." Kurt was definitely unhappy, but seemed resigned.

"You know, "Lauren drawled, "If this was a TV show, that would be where the credits would roll for the end of the episode."

"But I thought...the rings...what...?" Rachel was almost in tears.

Blaine blinked and Kurt turned to Rachel with a look of confusion on his face.

"Rachel...he means we are going to have to lead a mission each. We're going to have to split up, literally. Not...oh you really are insane."

Kurt pulled her over to him and held her in his arms.

"Rachel, Kurt and I can't ever split up. I love him too damn much. I love him with all my heart. With both my hearts!" Blaine was kneeling over at her feet, one hand on her knee and the other on Kurt's.

Kurt's free hand came down and gently threaded itself into the curls at the nape of Blaine's neck, thankful that Blaine had not bothered to re-gel his hair after their street battle.

"I'm sorry, I know it's silly but...I don't know why, but you two are just so important to me right now."Rachel was still shaking.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, Blaine and I are never breaking up. We can't. Not ever."

"Has one of you proposed to the other yet? I need a damn wedding!" Mercedes broke the tension.

"We...we have been planning a ceremony for you guys." Kurt said quietly, "Just something simple, but...well, we kind of got attacked while we were out buying rings and..."

"You're planning a wedding before anyone has even proposed? Talk about ass up and backwards!" Jon guffawed.

"They consider themselves already married, don't you boys?" Burt said even more softly than his son had spoken.

Kurt and Blaine blushed and smiled at each other.

"What? When? " David exclaimed, "Is this the famous 'back seat of the limo' story we've only half heard about?"

"No." Kurt and Blaine said at the same time.

"It was the day we got the rings." Kurt said smiling at him.

"My Great Grandmother's letter said to think long and hard and search for someone worthy. I didn't have to think about it at all, did I?" Blaine said with tears in his eyes.

"We didn't even notice which fingers we had put each others' ring on." Kurt said, tears filling his eyes too, "But we both know. That was the moment when it happened."

Everyone was silent for a second.

"Welcome to the family son, officially this time." Burt said simply.

Rachel, who was still trapped between the two boys simply clasped their joined hand in her own and sobbed a bit more.

"Now, we really need to split you two up!" Elaine Anderson laughed. "We've got a War on Terror to fight."

.

It was finally decided that only those with very strong defensive or offensive powers should go with the primary missions.

Kurt, with his Glamour power and his ability to talk to machinery, would head off to the International Airport where, as Lauren pointed out, there would be more likelihood of running into lots of machines and people.

Blaine would lead the mission to the Statue of Liberty.

The same reasoning led everyone to decide that Dave and Jeff needed to be at the airport too.  
>If the terrorists were bent on killing or injuring huge numbers of people, the busy airport was an obvious target, and Dave's healing abilities were certain to be needed there.<p>

No one dared suggest splitting them up again, even Sue had been unable to work out how Rachel, possessing no magical gifts whatsoever, had been able to keep Dave alive in Jeff's absence.

Since the healing would be going with Kurt, Blaine's team needed to be well able to protect themselves.  
>Tina, Mike, Wes and David were finally chosen, being both hard to hit and resistant to most forms of harm.<p>

Kurt's team would consist of Dave, Jeff, Flint and Trent. Santana and Brittany insisted on joining them too.

Blaine nodded as he summed up the plan.  
>"Ok, it's going to take a couple of hours to get things set up with the Police and Guard forces. We better get the President to pave the way for us, Burt could you..."<p>

"...I'm on it Mrs Porcelain. "Sue said smiling at him, "Old Asian and I need to go check on the volcanos we left iced up in Hawaii anyway. We'll pop into to see President BigEars on the way."

Before anyone could speak both she and Pang were gone.

"I wish I could work out how she does that. "Kurt said.

"Disappear?" Mercedes asked.

"No, find ways by proxy to keep calling me Porcelain."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

While Carole tried to stop Brittany from adding too much glitter to the uniforms she was making, Burt motioned Blaine and Kurt to come with him.

John and Elaine Anderson nodded to them as they left the room, which made Blaine suspicious.

Finally, Burt led them to their own apartment and the two boys sat on the sofa in the living room and waited for whatever it was Burt wanted to say.

"Ok...well...I...well, and Elaine, John and Carole... we...we all talked about this earlier today and they decided that, however uncomfortable I might be with this, it would be best coming from me. I still can't work out why." Burt was very obviously feeling pressured. "And they thought you guys would feel more comfortable if I did it on my own, without the others I mean. Your parents that is."

Burt continued, "We... that is to say, I..."

"Dad, just spit it out ok? Whatever it is, it cannot be worse than what we are imagining it is right now. You know we love you, both of us. And we know you guys love us, so whatever it is that's causing you this much embarrassment, just get it out into the open so we can move on from it. I mean, you and I survived 'The Talk' after all, and I don't think anything could be more mortifying than that."

Burt was nodding as his son spoke.

"Actually Kurt, that kind of really segues nicely into what I...they...we...your parents that is...what we wanted to talk about."

Kurt was blushing faintly pink.  
>"Dad, please tell me you're not going to give me...give us, 'The Talk' again! I listened last time Dad. I swear I listened. I know I had my fingers in my ears some of the time, but I really was listening, to everything you said. I even read the damned pamphlets, Dad. I made notes in the margins! You don't need to...oh my God. Dad! "<p>

"Honey, shh, just let your Dad talk ok?"  
>Blaine leaned into Kurt a little and squeezed his knee.<p>

"I'm just...I know how uncomfortable thinking about this sort of stuff makes you Dad and I...we really don't need a talk about it. We're responsible people Dad, and we have researched stuff and...no, I mean, not researched but, oh, I mean we have looked stuff up online and...no! Not like that. Research, proper research! Essays, parenting websites, instructional movies...but not those sort of movies, well, maybe a few but only to..."

"Kurt. Just let me talk, ok son?"

Kurt came to an abrupt halt in his rambling and sat biting hid lip slightly while Blaine and Burt made eye contact and both tried not to smile.

Burt sat on the sofa opposite them.

"Boys. You know how everyone has been teasing you about proposing to each other...?"

Blaine and Kurt nodded.

"...and you know how I said that I thought you were kind of already married...?"

They nodded again.

"...well. Your parents, Blaine, and Carole and I...we all agree on that. You two are, in our eyes, already married. "

Kurt and Blaine's eyes got really big.

"I'm not going to lie. At first, I felt a little...worried about it. I mean, you're both so young. But then I thought, you're not much younger than I was when I met Elizabeth, or when Carole met Christopher, and both of those relationships led to some amazing things."

Kurt blushed as he realised his father was referring to himself and Finn.

Burt continued.  
>"So, we all wanted to make sure that you understood that we understand. We know, now, these damn rings make everything...move faster. We know that even though you have only been a couple for a short time, that this is going to be forever, and I am still having a hard time getting my head around the fact that in your case, forever really literally means, forever. Anyway, we wanted to talk to you about...about sex."<p>

Kurt flushed red again and even Blaine blushed a little.

"Dad! It's ok, we haven't...really we haven't! I mean, we're young and we've got time...I just...and I know the flowers and the trees make it seem so...just...trust me we haven't gone that far yet and..."

"Why not?" Burt said simply, stopping the flow of babble from his son in its tracks.

"I'm...sorry...um... Mr Hummel? What?" Blaine was shocked too.

"Why haven't you taken that next step yet?" Burt asked simply. "You're in a committed relationship. You're both young and healthy. You both talk about everything with each other. Why haven't you let yourselves explore that part of a loving relationship too?"

Kurt was speechless.

"Now, I realise, we all realise, that it's really none of our business boys." Burt continued. "But we've just been concerned that you might be holding back out of some sort of worry about how we might react. Are you?"

"No Dad! I mean...I...we...honey?" Kurt turned to Blaine and silently asked him to carry this part of the conversation for a little while.

"Mr Humm..."

"Burt please Blaine. Call me Burt, I've been telling you that for months."

"...Burt. Kurt and I, we do respect you guys, but that's not the only reason we've...um..."

"...allowed your V-cards to go un-punched as that Santana might say?"  
>Burt smiled as Kurt and Blaine were startled by his words.<p>

"Dad!"

"What kiddo? I can be up with the times too ya know!"

"We just...we just want to wait a little longer Mr Humm...Burt."

"Why?"

Blaine thought about it for a while.

"We have talked about it...Burt. " Blaine finally said slowly. "More than talked. We both know exactly how the other feels about it. The rings don't let us delude each other, let alone delude ourselves. I know Kurt wants to wait, and I would never want to pressure him into..."

"I just want to take time really Dad. I don't want to let you down. I...we both know how you guys feel about how young we are."

"Kurt. What did I just say about that?" Burt asked quietly.

"Well...you told me I should wait until I was thirty Dad."

Burt sighed deeply.  
>"Ok, let me spell it out for you, in plain talking, so there are no misunderstandings. Then we can put this all behind us and none of us needs to blush anymore."<p>

"Ok Mr H...Burt!"

"Kurt, I'll be honest. I do feel uncomfortable talking to you about sex, and yes, some of it is about the whole 'Gay' part of it. Not because I think it is wrong, because it isn't, but because it's a whole area I just have very little experience of. Now, I read those pamphlets too, and I watched a couple of those...those movies as you call them. I didn't like them, I admit, but then I have never liked straight porn either much. Sex isn't all about who puts what and where Kurt, Blaine. It's about love. It's about connecting on a level with someone else that you just can't achieve any other way. I told you that you matter Kurt, and you matter too Blaine. I...all any parent ever really wants is for their kid to find someone who gets that too. Who gets that their partner matters. Who gets that they matter too. "

Kurt and Blaine were both sitting staring at the man as tears shone unshed in their eyes.

"When you came out to me Kurt I was so scared that you might never find someone who really, really understood that. When Blaine talked me into giving you 'The Talk' the first time, I was scared again. Because I was so far out of my comfort zone... I researched too kiddo, so that I would be able to understand at least something if you needed me to answer any questions, even if it meant we both had to go find Blaine and ask him. Him being the great gay Yoda and all."

Kurt giggled as Blaine raised an eyebrow at the joke.

"Now, I found out all sorts of things about the different ways people love. About open marriages, traditional marriage, serial monogamy, life partnerships, Polly...Pollyanna...something..."

"Polyamory?" Blaine asked.

"That's it." Burt nodded, "Anyway, however you find love, that's ok by us, so long as it means something and is pure and you work at it. So, to end 'The Talk Version 2.0' I just want to tell you that all I ever wanted was for you to choose to go that final step because you wanted to take it together. Not because you were drunk or felt pressured. Now you've found each other, well, all of us have been able to stop worrying about that. You two are the real deal. I'm so happy about that. I'm not telling you to go at it like rabbits right this minute...or at least let me leave the room first, but I don't want you guys putting things off or forcing yourselves to wait because you think we, your parents, might be disappointed in you if you decide to make love. It's your lives now boys, time to start living them."

"Thanks Dad," Kurt said, his blushing over at last, "I...We want to thank you for being so ..."

"So loving." Blaine whispered.

"Well, I'll leave you boys to talk. Remember to go get your 'Super' outfit fitted soon. I have no idea where Brittany has been finding all the sequins from, but Carole may have to take drastic action if we don't get moving before Brittany bedazzles all the masks." Burt smiled as he got up and left.

The boys sat there for a few minutes, processing.

"What just happened?" Kurt finally asked.

"I think your Dad told us he was more than ok with me having sex with you." Blaine whispered.

"Do you think he'd be ok with me having sex with you though?" Kurt asked.

Blaine bit his lip and thought about it.  
>"We don't really have time to find out right now though do we. We have to go save the world...again."<p>

"I am proud of him though for managing the talk without once resorting to sports metaphors." Kurt said grinning.

"I noted that too. He's a wise man your father is Kurt."

They looked at their watches.

"We have about twenty minutes before we need to get going Kurt." Blaine said sadly.

"Yeah...I know..."Kurt said pensively.

Blaine stood up and stretched.

"Want to race me to second base?" Kurt asked flirtatiously, looking him up and down.

Blaine grinned, his lips quivering into a grin and his eyes darkening.  
>"Only if you promise to let me steal third."<p> 


	60. Which Team Do You Play For?

**A/N: Hi all, despite life trying to distract me from my own imagination, I'm back!**

**Hope enough people can remember this story and still feel the need to read it.  
>Reviews (especially long, detailed, juicy ones) are of course always not only welcomed but occasionally begged for (hint hint)<strong>

**No huge revelations here, just a bit of fluff, some silliness, some slight cameos (well, ****A**** slight cameo) and a bit of 'smut-lite'. (The smut you have when it's not actually smutty)**

**It's mostly just a bit of innuendo and some seriously twisted jokes.**

**Hopefully I can knock the second part of this monster into shape soon and get on with the biff and shouting. **

**Apologies if I've seriously screwed up how things work or where things are etc, cut me some slack, I'm writing this literally half a world away, and my last visit to NYC was when I was TWO (but at least I have actually been there...apparently)**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything much, certainly not one of the sexy Glee boys, but I'm willing to go into a time-share arrangement with anyone who DOES own one.**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Hummel, I think I might have to start hating you."

Santana was sitting in the boardroom, sewing a patch on a Kevlar jumpsuit, with a wry smirk on her face.

"Why?" Wes asked, looking at her in shock.

"Why do I have to start hating him?"

"We all know you don't hate him Santana, "Tina interjected, "We just want to know why you would say that."

"Yeah, I want to know that too." Sam said as he was looking at himself in a mirror.

Santana just motioned them over to where she was sitting.  
>Kurt simply raised an eyebrow at her.<p>

Tina and Sam walked over and followed Santana's gaze.

"Oh." Tina said, nodding and she walked back to where Mike was standing and admiring his new look.

Sam stared for a few seconds and blushed slightly, then went for a quick walk onto the roof terrace.  
>"Tell Mercedes I'm just...I just needed to cool off. I'll be watching the sunset."<p>

"Ok, now I'm curious..." Rachel said, sitting beside Santana and looking at whatever the fiery Latina had been staring at.

"But I thought..." Rachel said softly.

"I am, "Santana replied, "But I can still appreciate a good one when I see it."

"And to think, "Rachel sighed, "I dated that, maybe only one time, but for one glorious night, that was mine."

"Bet you didn't touch it though." Santana snorted.

"No I didn't. But the Saturday night before...at the party, I can distinctly remember having both hands on it."

"Berry, keep talking like that and I might forget my hatred of you and have to kiss you."

"Blaine, honey, tell Carole to hurry up dear. The girls are getting over excited staring at your ass."  
>Kurt had not even looked up from where he was sewing a small FBI patch on Azimio's jumpsuit.<p>

Blaine, who was standing in only his tight, black boxer-briefs and a pair of leather boots, waiting for Carole to finish adjusting his 'uniform', shook his head and resolutely refused to turn around.

.

_I'm glad you helped me change my mind on which pants to wear Kurt. Those red hipsters might have been too much for them._

_I helped you change your mind? How?_

_Well, I couldn't wear them after you..._

_Oh! I ... we can ask Quinn or Carole to repair them if they were particular favourites of yours honey_

_Do you really want to explain to either of them exactly how they got torn in half? Anyway, I'd say they were favourites of yours more than mine. Wouldn't you agree?_

_Seriously though Blaine, I love your fashion sense. Even your obsession with bowties is sweet. If you're wearing it Blaine my darling, then I'm loving it. There's only one thing I like better than the clothes you wear._

_Oh? Dare I ask what is hotter than them?_

_The clothes you take off_

.

Blaine took the outfit Carole had been working on and dressed in it in under three seconds.  
>Sometimes it was cool to have super powers.<p>

"David, I'm finished." Santana said, holding up the jumpsuit she had been working on.

An invisible hand took the suit from her and it faded from sight too.

"Kurt, sorry if I embarrassed you just then..."Santana found the apology fitted strangely in her mouth. Words like that were hard for her to say, but she was determined to be at least a little nicer to her friends.

"I'm not embarrassed Satan." Kurt said as he held up the suit he was working on and Mike took it to go deliver it to the suite four floors down where Azimio was waiting for it.

He returned less than five seconds later.  
>Yep, super powers were cool.<p>

Kurt looked into Santana's eyes and smiled at her.  
>"Blaine is hot. I know that. Blaine is amazingly good looking. I know that. He's damned sexy. I know that. I know that better than anyone in this room. Trust me Satan, Rachel, his body doesn't just look fine, it's a whole world of wonderful. Best damned theme-park ride ever. Better than Disneyland. The happiest place on earth is not in California, it's standing over there looking embarrassed."<p>

Santana was taken aback by Kurt's attitude.

"Whoa, Hummel. What has happened to my precious baby-gay? You sound..."

"I'm a grown up now Santana. I'm putting aside the baby penguin and embracing my inner BAMF."

"I thought embracing your inner BAMF was my job?" Blaine pretended to sulk as he swooped in, picked Kurt from his seat on the floor and kissed him so hard his toes almost curled.

"Damn Blaine, I was just looking on and I feel like I need a cigarette after that one! " Santana quipped. "I'm willing to promise you anything if you two will do that again...later...in private...and let me and Britt watch."

"Just promise me you'll let Kurt look after you and Britt, ok?" Blaine said, his mood turning serious, "Remember, Kurt can't really be permanently hurt, but if we lose one of you..."

Santana just nodded,

"I understand Frodo. You and Kurt are kind of indestructible. Don't worry, I'm not going to take a hit if he can take it for me, and I'm definitely not letting Britt get hurt."

Burt flickered back into the room.

Sam hurried back from the terrace as Hiram, Leroy, Azimio and Mercedes walked up to Burt.

"Be careful guys!" Kurt called out.

"You be careful white boy!" Mercedes smiled at him.

Mercedes was the one person in that group that Kurt wasn't worried about.  
>She had used her wish to wish for resistance to injury, so that she would always be able to stand between any dangers that threatened and those she loved.<br>Only the most virulent poison, hottest firestorm or a nuclear blast could do more than scratch her.  
>Kurt would just have to hope that whatever Sam's power was, it would keep him safe too.<p>

"Hey Humm...Kurt...keep an eye on Dave...and his boy. Don't let either of them do something dumb, ok? Tell the big lug I want to be his best man at the wedding, so they'd better damn well survive to have one!"

Kurt nodded to the hulking figure of Azimio Adams and the two exchanged a slight smile just before Burt whisked them out of the room and off to their assigned location.

"What are these suits made of anyway?" David asked as he faded into sight, his charcoal grey jumpsuit fitting him perfectly.

"Layers of Kevlar and Spider's Silk." Quinn said as she flexed her aching fingers and flopped down inelegantly beside Santana and Rachel.

"Spider?" David raised his brows.

"Blaine sweet talked every spider in a five block radius into donating us a little silk." Quinn moaned as Nick knelt at her feet and massaged her aching forearms. "I've been weaving the damn stuff nonstop for almost two hours."

"Ok, so, Kevlar to stop bullets. Silk to stop knife blades etc. What is the black webbing that holds it all together for, and where does that come from?" Wes was examining his sleeve as he spoke.

"That, my friend, is a magical fibre that will react on its own to the unexpected. It's designed to respond to sudden force, or impact, like a shock absorber. If you get caught in an explosion it should at least reduce the damage from the initial force wave enough for you to survive long enough for healing." Quinn said, her eyes still closed.

"What is it though? Where is it from?" Wes always wanted to know everything.

Quinn waved a lazy hand at the girl sitting beside her.  
>Santana just smiled and ran her fingers through her shiny black hair.<p>

"We're ready." Trent said as he and Flint finally joined the others. Dave and Jeff were a few steps behind them. "Sorry, last minute costume fitting drama."

"You're sure you can cover us all Kurt?" Dave asked. "I mean, if you wanted us to be incognito so we can scope out JFK without arousing suspicion, we can always change."

"No!" Kurt answered, "I can hide our outfits without any effort at all. Plus, this is my chance to dress everyone exactly the way I want, even if only virtually, and nobody can argue! Besides, if we do get into a fire fight, I'm going to feel a whole lot better knowing that you won't have to deal with quite as many injuries as you usually do. Not to mention that whilst I may recover from death, it still hurts like a bitch and it takes time to do, so not being killed in the first place makes a lot more logistical and practical sense for me too."

"I hear you there honey!" Blaine said, snatching one last embrace before walking out onto the terrace. "Dying hurts, in both directions. Ok everyone who's down for a quick trip to Liberty Island, all aboard."

He transformed into his dragon form, silver scales gleaming in the light spilling from the open doorway, the sun having finally passed far enough below the horizon for true night to fall.

"Blaine, sweetie... you're bigger than you were the first time we saw you like this. "Carole was giving Kurt a reassuring hug as he and his group stood in the doorway and watched the others depart.

"You're bigger than you were this morning! 'Wes said quietly, his eyes roaming the sixty foot length of the hovering dragon. "Typical! You finally hit a growth spurt, but it's as a lizard."

Blaine rolled his enormous eyes and muttered imprecations under his breath.  
>Wes, David, Tina and Mike carefully climbed on and held on tight.<p>

"You're sure you can manage...?" Tina began.

"I can carry you and about forty other people Tina, "Blaine said simply, "It's really not that hard at all. In terms of sheer weight I suspect that in this form I could probably lift the hotel into the air. I'm just hoping David can manage to cover all of us as far as Lady Liberty, because if he slips up, it's not his huge scaly ass that will be pictured all over the news."

Santana had to make one last comment.  
>"Blaine, do you even have an ass in that form? I mean, if we're talking body parts here, in that form you're more like a sixty foot long..."<p>

"And that's where we must end this discussion ladies!" Kurt interrupted. "Dad's back and we need to get together for our bamph to JFK. Blaine, sweetie, take care of the others and..."

"I love you too Kurt." Blaine said simply.

As the dragon rose smoothly into the air he and his passengers faded from sight.

"Ok, so far so good." David's voice could be heard from the air just above them. "I think I can hold this long enough to get us there, so long as you don't stop off for some shopping on the way Blaine."

A slight rush of air felt by the teens left on the terrace was the only indication that Blaine had moved off.

"Son?" Burt said softly, "He'll be alright."

"I know that Dad, "Kurt smiled slightly, "It's me you should all be worried about."

"What?" Burt opened his eyes wide.

"I'm the one heading to the place they keep all the Duty Free shopping!"

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Are we sure they are going to be alright?" Elaine Anderson asked tentatively.

"I hope so, "Carole responded, "But it isn't really our decision to make, is it? I mean, I'm worried about Hiram and Leroy, but nobody is asking whether they should have volunteered to go out there and put themselves on the line. I think our sons are adults now, even if they haven't had their birthdays yet. They've made some big steps in recent times and so far things have worked out for the better. I think we just need to have faith that they will all look out for one another and be alright."

"I wish we could go with them." Finn said softly.

"With whom?" Lord Tubbington asked simply from the table where he and Ben-Davis were continuing to monitor the huge hologram of New York.

"Anyone." Finn replied, "I wish I hadn't wasted my wish on whatever it was I wished for. I should have wished for super powers like the others and..."

"I think we're all kind of grateful that you didn't Finn." Rachel said as she wrapped an arm around him. "If you had used up your wish early, then we would all have died at the concert, wouldn't we?"

Finn thought about that.  
>Burt flickered back into the room and went to pour himself a coffee (decaff of course - Kurt still kept a strict limit on his diet)<p>

"Look at my wish Finn, "Quinn said as she insisted on pouring coffee for Burt and Carole. "All I got was my daughter and her mom teleported across the country to the most dangerous place on earth."

"I know. But that worked out didn't it? All the wishes seem to have been exactly what we needed at the time, but I still..."  
>Finn struggled to find the words.<p>

"You wish you and I had rings, don't you." Rachel said very quietly.

"I...no...Maybe...I just...I love you Rachel, really I do..."

"It's not because you don't love me enough Finn, "Rachel said, staring into his eyes and willing him to believe her, "And it isn't because I don't love you. I don't think we'll ever be Godmothers, but not because of you. You're strong and true and so amazingly full of love Finn. I hate to sound like a total cliché here but...it's not you, it's me. If Kurt was here he'd have thrown something at me by now for being unoriginal."

Finn tried to hush the short girl but she fended him off.  
>Carole, Elaine, Burt and the others sat quietly, watching and trying not to feel guilty about eavesdropping so blatantly.<p>

"It's me Finn. I know my own faults as well as I know my own talents. I'm an amazing performer, and I'm incredibly good at reading and feeling my own emotions. But I'm also more than a little selfish. I get caught up in my own needs and wants far too easily. I'm spoiled, and I act that way far too often. Kurt and Blaine would both be yelling at me by now to stop being so down on myself, but it's ok. I know why I'm limited, and I know that I'm learning, and trying to reach past my ego. But it isn't enough Finn. I think I finally grasp the real meaning of the rings. I understand, I think, what they signify and why only certain couples have received them so far and which couple are more or less likely to qualify in the near future."

"Rachel, you know I really, really do love you. I'm not just saying that. Maybe I'm still a little immature to really understand what that means, but you need to know that I..."

Rachel stopped him with a kiss.

"I know Finn. But think about it. It's not just about love. It's about commitment, and selflessness, and bravery. It's about needing the support of the rings more than anything else. Think about which couples were the first to get rings, even before my wish. Think about which couple got them first afterwards. It's no coincidence I think that most of the most powerfully gifted of the Godmothers here in New York all have one thing in common."

Finn could feel his brain trying to do something it rarely attempted, serious thought.

"Think Finn. We sent only the most powerful and resourceful of the Godmothers we had here on the special missions to Liberty and the airport. Not that the others won't be facing danger too, but who did we send to do the really heavy lifting?"

"Kurt and Blaine, Santana and Brittany, Wes and David, Tina and Mike, Flint and Trent and Jeff and Dave. " Finn said slowly.

Rachel looked at him hopefully.

"That Chandler guy...he said something..." Finn almost had it.

Quinn saw it now, but rather than just blurt out the answer, she wanted to help Finn realise it on his own.

"Finn. "She said, making eye contact with Rachel to make sure it was alright to join the conversation, "Apart from those couples, who would you say was the most powerful team?"

"Rachel's dads, "Finn said without hesitation, "or maybe the phones, they seem pretty amazing too."

Ben-Davis blushed from his position on the hologram and ducked behind the cover of Rockefeller Plaza.

"What did Chandler say Finn?" Rachel asked gently.

"He was freaking out about...the superheros...oh...they're all gay! Well, except for Tina and Mike. Why would that make a difference?"

"Resistance training?" Patricia said from the couch where she and Paul Karofsky were scanning through files of reports copied from the CIA. "You have to learn how to love stronger and deeper than most straight people do when every asshole in the world seems to think they have the right to butt in on your private business."

"I wouldn't be so sure that you are a hopeless case either young lady." Paul Karofsky rumbled, fixing Rachel with a penetrating look, "You might just not need a ring to be magical. I heard from Jeff how you saved my son's life. Even the cat says that what you did should be impossible. Just keep doing whatever it is you are doing and I think we're all in for a big surprise."

"Speaking of surprises, "John Anderson said as he helped Steffi get Artie's chair over a cable that had been used to hook up extra monitors. "Have we made any progress on working out what the enemy's fallback target might be? I'm pretty sure Sue must be right about them. She's not made a mistake yet. Well, apart from that whole 'end of the world' thing. We will need to move our resources fast when they make their move and the more time we have to sort things out the better it will be."

"I'm tired of thinking about it, "Quinn sighed, "So I'm going to use the tried and true WWBS method and see what happens."

"WWBS?" Carole asked.

"What Would Brittany Say?"

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"You're the best ex-boyfriend ever Kurtie!" Brittany said as she spun on the spot, allowing her bright yellow sundress to whirl out.

"It even feels real." Santana said as she fingered the crisp white linen of the suit Kurt had 'glamoured' up for her.

"When I fake it, I fake it well." Kurt said, his eyes twinkling, "I'm just enjoying the chance to actually dress up my friends in exactly what I think they should be wearing and no one can argue with me."

"No arguments from me about your ideas for Bird," Jeff whispered.

"I feel like an extra from the Village People movie." Dave sighed as he tried not to look down at himself.

"Trust me on this Dave, you look like a porn star, but in a classy way!" Trent added the last part hurriedly when he saw Kurt's famous bitch glare starting to form.

"But why leather?" Dave moaned, "Even in fabric these pants would look obscene, but in leather? Everyone is going to stare at me."

"You got that right Dave, they are going to stare, then they are going to sigh, maybe drool a bit, and wish they could either be with you or be you." Flint laughed.

"I'm still amazed at how well you can hold such different illusions Kurt, not just visual ones but tactile and even smell...and it doesn't seem to be fazing you at all." Trent loved the well tailored tweed suit and waistcoat ensemble that Kurt had transformed his 'super hero suit' into.

"I let you talk me out of the leather vest Dave. "Kurt muttered, a sneaky smile flitting across his face, "And the shirt is a plain black button down."

"It's also really, really tight Kurt. If I move or flex too much I'm afraid it will tear off me like the Hulk."

"I could live with that!" Santana said, Brittany nodding vigorously beside her.

"Let's stop ogling my boyfriend and keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Jeff said, trying to get Dave to relax a little. He was glad that everyone had agreed not to let Dave know about the revealing see-through mesh patchwork that made up the back of Dave's illusory shirt. "Should we maybe try to find some authorities and either talk to them or just tail them and see if they set something off?"

"What sort of thing should we be looking for anyway? " Flint asked.

"I doubt they'd try to recreate Nine-Eleven, " Kurt said thoughtfully. "In fact, I can't think of any reason why they'd target this airport. It has to be one of the toughest targets to hit."

"We should think about what they want." Santana said, "I mean, what would they consider a success?"

"Everyone dying?" Brittany said, "Or at least, all the cool people dying. I think the terrorists must be like even geekier than us. We all have each other at least, and none of us want to take over the world or destroy it, or kill everyone. Well, maybe Quinn did when she was having Beth. She said some pretty scary things at the hospital. I don't remember her wanting to kill everyone in the world though, just Puck. They must just all be sick in the head. I hope it's not catching Kurtie, I don't want to get sick in the head too."

"How are we supposed to find anything in this crowd?" Flint muttered under his breath. "Whoa! Sorry ma'am!"

He caught the woman who had just run into him before she could hit the floor and held her arm gently until she could gather her balance again.

"Oh, I am so sorry, "She said.

The teens noted that her eyes were red and glistening, as if she had been weeping. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Have you seen a small boy? Blond, dressed in a blue sailor's suit. He's about six years old, this tall. I've got security looking for him but I can't just sit in that damned office and wait."

Kurt found himself reaching out to offer a gentle, supportive hug.

"He just...I only turned my back for a minute, and he was gone. "The woman was about to cry again.

"We'll help you look. " Kurt said firmly.

"Uh, Kurt, don't we need to..."Flint said slowly.

"We can look for the child while we do that Flint, multitasking, remember?"

The woman smiled at Kurt's reassuring wink.

"Now, first things first, "He said, "What is your name and what is your son's?"

"Billy, "The woman said, "My name is Billy. Spelled with a Y not an IE, it's short for Wilhelmina, and yes, I know, terrible isn't it? My son is Elliot, and before you ask, yes, I named him after watching that movie more than thirty times during my pregnancy."

The others were beginning to like this woman, Billy.

"So, Billy, "Kurt smiled at her again, "Would you happen to have a picture of Elliot?"

"No, at least...I don't think so. I thought I had one on my new phone but I couldn't...the security officer asked too but we couldn't find..."

Kurt offered her a tissue from his seemingly endless supply.

"Could I have a look? I'm kind of a wizard at technology." Kurt smiled reassuringly at her again.

Billy reached into her bag and retrieved her phone, stopping in shock as the phone beeped before she had even handed it over, a picture of her son appearing on the screen without any buttons being pushed.

"Wow, talk about lucky!" Jeff said grinning.

"Everyone have a look." Kurt directed, "Now, Billy, why don't we walk back to the Security office with you, while you tell us where you last saw Elliot and tell us a little about him and what he might have gone off to look for."

"We got bumped from out flight this morning. We're meant to be travelling back to London. My husband is English, and he had to stay for work while Billy and I came here to meet up with my parents for Dad's birthday. He's a Yankee Doodle baby you know. Dad and Mom were catching a flight this morning too, to California for a holiday. About ten minutes after their flight boarded they announced that our flight was overbooked. I tried to get on it anyway but it was no use. About two hours into sitting in the lounge waiting for a new ticket, Elliot was pestering me about...he was... he was playing some sort of game. I snapped at him. I was just so tired and stressed. Oh God, what have I..."

"Cry and be guilty after we find him. "Santana snapped, "No point in beating yourself up about it now. If you like, once we find him, perfectly well and unharmed, I would be willing to slap you in the face as a punishment if that will make you feel better."

Billy blinked ad looked at the girl.

"Or, we could just cry a bit and not look for him, I'm sure that would..."

"Thanks, "Billy murmured, "I needed that. I'll fall apart once we're all back together and he's safe."

"You should ask Santana to spank you!" Brittany piped up, "It hurts a bit, but it makes your butt go all tingly and red, and then when Tanny kisses..."

"Britt! Honey! Private stuff, remember!" Kurt and Santana said almost at the same moment.

"So, what was Elliot pestering you about?" Trent asked, "I mean, that might give us a clue as to what he wandered off to find or see."

"It wasn't anything relevant." Billy said sadly, "He wanted me to go with him to find out where the shadow pixies were coming from."

"Pixies?" Kurt said.

"I know, just a game. "Billy sighed, "He wanted to know why they were carrying snow around in summer time. He has a very active imagination."

"Did he describe these pixies?" Kurt said slowly.

"Yes, but I can't remember..."

"About four inches tall, like little bits of living shadow and move in zigzags?" Brittany asked.

"That sound like them!" Billy said, "But how on earth could you..."

"Billy, "Kurt said firmly, "Please take us to the lounge you were sitting in, take us now."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Blaine, sweetie, we have a situation here._

_What's wrong Kurt?_

_Nothing, yet. But we have evidence of supernatural involvement here_

_What sort of..._

_Shadow Pixies, Brittany seemed to recognise the description, Lord Tubbington has been contacted and is doing some research_

_Do you need us?_

_No, I just wanted to give you a heads up sweetie. I don't want you to walk into something unpleasant totally unprepared. There may be magic involved at your location too_

_We're not walking in anywhere, yet. Something here is definitely up, Wes and David have gone all Ghostly to investigate while Tina, Mike and I hide out under the ferry landing._

_So you're safe for now?_

_Until we move in. What is your team up to right now?_

_Right now? Umm... We're trying to move against the flow of traffic. Some flight from Paris has just landed and there are passengers everywhere. Poor Dave is trying to deal with some obnoxious guy who has decided to hit on him while the rest of us are looking for a lost six year old_

_Oh no Kurt! Are his parents coping ok?_

_I told Flint that would be your first response. He was worried it might distract from our primary mission._

_Oh no honey, lost kids are important too, I fully understand_

_It was the kid who put us onto the pixies actually, he apparently went off to look for them on his own and hasn't been seen since_

_We're almost as lucky as Pete aren't we?_

_I've been lucky since the moment I asked some short, sexy hobbit for directions on a staircase_

_Hobbit? Et tu Kurte?_

_Bite me hobbit_

_Oh, don't worry Kurt, I will_

_Blaine! I did not need that image while I'm trying to talk to a frustrated Security Officer. _

_Sorry Kurt_

_I do intend to hold you to that image though...later_

_Mmmm_

_Ok sweetie, got to go. Stay safe and if you need help, call me, I've got to go rescue Dave. This guy just won't take no for an answer and if he tries to put his hand inside Dave's pants again Jeff may actually punch him in his squinty little meerkat face._

_Dirty old man?_

_No, he looks about our age actually, but he's drunk off his face, so he must be twenty one_

_Drinking age is eighteen in Europe Kurt_

_Well, however old he is, he's acting like a spoiled three year old. Dave has even tried showing him his ring and put his arm around Jeff...in public Blaine! OMG! Dave Karofsky is kissing his boyfriend on the lips in the arrivals hall of JFK airport!_

_He's what? I wish I could see that. Dave has really made so much progress_

_Hang on sweetie, let me try something _*image*

_Wow, I saw them! That guy does look a bit like a meerkat doesn't he?_

_Got to go sweetie, take care_

_You too, I think I can hear David and Wes returning here anyway_

.

Wes and David flickered into visibility a few seconds after they were fully beneath the shadow of the pier.  
>Both boys were slightly out of breath, but Blaine couldn't see any signs of injury.<p>

"Well, "Wes said after finally catching his breath, "You are not going to be surprised, I know, but there is definitely something going on here tonight."

"But the ferries keep coming and going, "Tina said, "So that must mean that the public aren't in danger, yet."

"We wouldn't have noticed anything wrong at all if we hadn't been invisible." David said. "What little we heard was only said because the people who have taken over let their guards down a little after each wave of tourists has passed by."

"Taken over?" Mike whispered.

"We spotted most of the regular staff, including the security people tied up in one of the big storage cellars under the gift shop." Wes said. "A few of them look injured, but no one was in serious trouble."

David nodded in agreement.  
>"Also, there are some National Guard soldiers being held in a room in the Parks Administration building next to the statue."<p>

"What about people inside the base or the statue itself?" Blaine asked.

"They've been telling people that due to security concerns they've closed access to the crown again. "Wes said. "Most of the tourists are dealing with that. It's only been a few years since it reopened, and they are all aware that numbers allowed up were limited anyway."

"So the terrorists must be doing something involving the statue itself then, not just the visitors to the island." Mike thought aloud.

"Not enough people to limit it to the visitors." Tina said, "I mean, millions visit the island every year, but not all at once. Whatever these dirt-bags are up to it will need more people to make the sort of splash they desire."

"How many did you spot guys?" Blaine asked.

"At least fifty, mostly men, but there were a few women too." David said. "Plus, I know this sounds weird, but I got the strange feeling that some of them weren't...right."

"Crazy?" Tina asked.

"More like...not entirely human." Wes said grimly.

"Kurt has also run into some supernatural meddling at the airport." Blaine said, "I guess that there were some survivors of the Fourth after all, or maybe they kept some evil Fae etcetera in reserve."

"Details?" Tina asked succinctly.

"I suspect a few of the leadership might be possessed by...something." David said, "And there were some sort of creatures locked away in one of the admin buildings on the north of the island. Sounded like wolves or dogs or something, but...not."

"We were going to try to get as look at the observation deck for you, but there was something up there that just felt...wrong, so we thought it better to come back and report." Wes said.

"Probably best not to start the fight before all of us are ready, yes." Blaine nodded.

"What should we do then Blaine? We can't be everywhere at once, and I suspect that when we make our move, the rest of the island is going to know something is up pretty damned quick." Wes said.

"We can't let the innocent people get hurt, "Mike said, "We need to rescue them first."

"But they are in two different places, "David pointed out, "Looks like we will need to split up."

"If it comes down to letting the hostages, and let's face it, that's what they are obviously for, if it comes down to letting them be killed or stopping them from blowing up the statue, which do we choose?" Tina asked, "What if they have a way to kill half the city? Do we just let the people here die to save the rest of the city?"

Blaine was thinking hard.

"We have to save everyone here first." David said.

"Not if it means millions of people back on the mainland dying." Tina countered.

"Whoa, harsh!"

Tina began swearing under her breath in Korean.

"I didn't mean you were harsh Tina, "David said gently clasping her arm. "It's a lose – lose situation."

"But we're the A team, so we're bound to come out on top!" Mike said.

"A team?" Blaine was puzzled.

"The A Team! Asian Team! Tina is Korean, I'm Chinese, Wes is Chinese and Thai, Blaine is half Filipino and David...um...do you have any Asian in you David?"

"Not since last night!" Tina giggled.

Everyone stared at her.

"What? You were all thinking it too."

Wes and David couldn't fight the giggles any longer.

"We need to plan guys, stop laughing." Blaine finally said, tears of laughter still running down his cheeks.

"Oh, that part is easy Blaine." Tina said simply. "Mike and I will go check out those beast creatures, and rescue the National Guards. Wes and David can ghost into the gift shop basement and organise a breakout there, which leaves you to clear out the base of the statue. Once we've freed or secured the prisoners, as the case may be, we meet up at the base of Liberty and clean house."

"Wow Tina, you put a lot of thought into that." Blaine said.

"Not that much thought, "She admitted sheepishly, "It's pretty obvious how we need to divide up. So now we have a plan, we just need to put it into action at the right moment. I just wish we had some sort of signal to tell us when it was time to make a move.

The ferry which had just left the island from the end of the pier they were hiding beneath suddenly blew up, throwing passengers and burning debris into the black waters of the Hudson River.

"Oops, "Tina said quietly, "I really hate it when a plan comes together."


	61. I Saved The World Today

**Hello all, it's me again...at last.  
>I'm sorry it has all taken so damned long to update – I could make all the usual excuses but suffice to say – if I can't feel it, I can't write it, and since many people have commented on how much love and joy there is in this tale...well, it's been a bit hard lately, let's just leave it at that.<strong>

**This chapter is both LONG and more than a little dark. Sorry about that, but that's just how the bunnies insisted it needed to be. I genuinely don't know what is going to happen after this chapter's events (well, short term anyway). That is to say, I have a vague idea of far and medium future things in the story, but I have no idea what 'happens next' so to speak, except that I'm sure the bunnies will have some sort of silver lining in there somewhere (I hope they do, otherwise it's all very very angsty)**

**The final part of the chapter should be read with musical accompaniment, as per usual. I suggest the following track (remove the brackets and spaces to reveal the link). (hint, look at the title of this chapter if you get stuck)**

**There are other, fuller versions of the song, which you could and should listen to also, but I think the raw power of the singer's voice in this short clip really gives the feeling I had when reading what I had written.**

**http (:/) www .(you) (tube) (.com) /watch? (v=a9J1Y-W) x9so**

**Please review, if you can, I know it may sound sappy, but I reread ALL the reviews, esp the long ones and they really helped me get through a lot in the last few months. **

**Sometimes we all need love, in whatever form it can find us.**

**Thankyou everyone, from the bottom of my heart.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or anything really cool. If I did, Kurt and Blaine would never have to worry about their clothes being slushied again (or indeed about clothes at all).**_

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Ok, thanks dad. Call me if you spot something."

Kurt put his phone back into his pocket and turned to the others.

"Kurt, I thought your phone was..." Trent was puzzled.

"Bramley? Oh he's back at the hotel. Well, technically he's somewhere in cyberspace."

"So where did you...?"

"They made it for me, Roberta and the boys I mean. It's basically identical to my old phone, but a bit more powerful, and not quite sentient. Roberta and I worked out how to cap the amount of magic I was ...um... 'leaking', because it's just not fair to force a whole new generation of machines into sentience before they are ready for it. This phone is more like a really smart puppy, and that's all it wants to be. The best part is, because, essentially, it's still mostly Bramley's original body, when he's in the same plane of existence as us, he can home in on it and 'reinhabit' it. I didn't really understand the explanation. Blaine did, of course."

"Did you get the skinny on the pixies from Britt's tub of furry lard or not?" Santana was feeling less patient than normal.

"Shadow pixies are relatively harmless, "Kurt relayed Lord Tubbington's message, "In small numbers that is. In a mass they can drain the heat and life energy from a human in minutes, maybe even seconds. Most Dark Fae use them as simple labour, or as spies. They aren't the brightest servants, but they are sneaky and hard to stop."

"I wonder what they are doing around here?" Flint mused, "Do you think the terrorists are planning on blowing up the airport?"

"What good would that do them?" Dave pondered, "I mean, it would kill a few people, sure, and disrupt the flight schedules of hundreds of thousands of passengers around the world, but it wouldn't exactly create a worldwide epidemic of fear, would it?"

"Any word on the others?" Flint asked.

Kurt snorted.  
>"Would you be referring to 'The A Team' by any chance?"<p>

"A Team?" Dave was puzzled now.

"Mike has apparently named their squad 'The A Team', since four of the five members have Asian ancestry."

"David has some Asian in him too, but only on special..." Trent began.

"Tina already made that joke, "Kurt interrupted, "Carole is mad with my father because he laughed so hard he squirted coffee out of his nose all over Ms Pillsbury."

"Oh my goodness, Is your Dad ok?" Dave asked, "If the coffee was..."

"It's ok, it was decaf." Kurt said blankly, "He knows better than to..."

"I meant the heat Kurt. Is he badly burnt?"

Kurt smiled, "Dad can't be hurt that easy. He's been carefully experimenting over the past couple of days, to determine how powerful he is now. A little cup of scalding coffee won't harm him. So long as it's decaf that is."

"How did Ms Pillsbury take it though? I mean, she's always had kind of a thing about germs and..." Dave was frowning slightly.

"She froze for a few seconds, Dad said, then Carole cleaned it off her, and she...she laughed! Between her powers and Mr Schue's, it seems her OCD has been well and truly knocked on the head. "

"Speaking of knocked on the head, has he come to yet?" Trent asked, peering over to where Jeff, Brittany, an airport security officer and a paramedic were all bending over a long, slightly dishevelled body laid out across a row of seats against the wall.

"Dave, does Jeff need me to help? "Kurt asked, "Blaine isn't too busy right at this moment, and I could borrow his Speech if you think we..."

"He's fine Kurt, "Dave said after a second of telepathic communication with his boyfriend, "His empathic projection is almost as good as Speech."

"I just don't want Britt to get into trouble." Kurt said, "And NO, Santana, you cannot go over there and 'rescue' her. We need to keep undercover as long as we can. "

"I don't think I've ever seen such a perfect right uppercut." Flint said quietly, "I mean, he must have travelled at least four feet through the air before he landed on that planter pot. To be honest, I thought it would be Dave who would snap. I mean, first that guy molests him without let up, then hits on Jeff when Jeff tries to intercede and finally offers to take them both into the bathroom for a... ew... I just don't know how they stayed so calm."

"I think it was when he started insulting Santana that he made Britt mad." Kurt said, "She's very protective of her."

"Kurt..." Santana was pacing like a tiger, the tips of her hair moving in a fashion not consistent with the slight breeze from the air-conditioning.

"Britt will be fine Satan." Kurt reassured her, "Look, they're already taking the Meerkat off to the first aid station, and the security officer is letting Jeff and Britt go. We didn't even need to use the paperwork and ids that President Obama arranged for us."

Brittany came over and practically leapt into Santana's arms.

"I'm sorry I got mad Tanny. He shouldn't have said those things about you though."

Santana just closed her eyes and held the blonde closer.

"Luckily there were witnesses who corroborated our version of events, not that Sebastian was in any condition to offer a rebuttal of course." Jeff said shaking his head wryly.

"Sebastian? Oh, is that his name?" Kurt was dismissive.

"The guy who had been sent to meet him started making a bit of a fuss, "Jeff continued, "Apparently his father is some sort of hotshot lawyer. He was making noises about litigation until the witnesses started talking about how drunk he was, he is our age by the way, in fact a year younger, and how handsy he had been with me and Dave. The witness was really mad about that part. Turns out his brother and his fiancé just got married last week and he spotted our rings and asked us about our wedding."

"His brother is gay? What are the odds of that?" Flint asked.

"No, his brother married a girl. He was just mad that someone would think it ok to bother an obviously committed couple. I don't think he even mentioned the whole gay part at all." Jeff was thoughtful as he spoke.

"One more bullet in the beast of homophobia." Kurt whispered almost to himself.

"Is the guy...Sebastian ok?" Dave asked. "I mean, he was really annoying and all, but he's going to be sore as hell when he wakes up. Recovering from a broken jaw hurts a lot."

"Britt broke his jaw?" Santana gasped.

"How do you know...?" Trent asked.

"You healed him didn't you?" Flint asked.

"Only a little, he'll be sore for a few days, to help remind him." Dave said blushing. "I didn't think they'd let any of us off easily if he was facing days in hospital."

"Oh please, "Kurt rolled his eyes, "You healed him because you're a big softie and can't stand the thought of even a drunken lecher being in pain. Your problem, David Karofsky, is that your heart is even bigger than your chest measurement. You just care about everyone!"

"Is that why you took the opportunity to lift his details from his phone when everyone was milling around Kurt?" Jeff asked slyly. "You're planning on keeping an eye out for that guy aren't you?"

Kurt raised one brow in what Blaine had begun to refer to as 'diva defensive glare level one'.

"I may have snooped a little in his head while he was out." Jeff confessed softly.

"And?"

Jeff nodded.

Kurt sighed.  
>"I thought something was wrong. He was well dressed, good clothes, well put together...but he just didn't seem to be right somehow. And I just had a nagging worry about the drinking. Even if he's been living in Europe for years, it seems unlikely that you'd deliberately let yourself get drunk when flying into one of the biggest and most complicated cities in the world, not unless you were masking something more painful or worrying."<p>

Dave was silently listening to this.

"...and the sleazy come-ons?" Kurt continued, "Something just didn't ring right about it. I'm remembering what my dad told me once, that I shouldn't throw myself around like I don't matter, because I do. That guy obviously thought he didn't matter a damn, and neither did anyone else. It's a very rare person who comes to that sort of mindset by themselves. I just want to make sure..."

"You're a good soul Kurt." Dave said, "And you tease me for being soft?"

"It was the person sent to fetch him that was the final straw." Kurt said, ignoring his blush, "What sort of family life do you have if your parents not only let you arrive, unaccompanied into a major city during a terrorism crisis, but send an obviously junior flunky who can't even remember the kid's name?"

Kurt's phone beeped softly.

"Ah!" He said, looking at the message. "Roberta has been thorough. Oh my...!"

"What is it? Trent asked.

"Sebastian Smythe, just turned seventeen, formerly residing with his mother in Paris for the last year, now en route to...Columbus, Ohio to join his father as he takes up his new post as State's Attorney for the Ohio Legislature. " Kurt read further and chuckled softly.

"What? "Trent asked again.

"We don't need to worry about helping him out right now." Kurt smiled, "We'll have a chance to get him back on his feet, so to speak, once school restarts. He's enrolled and accepted as a junior at Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio, starting this fall. Do we know anyone at that school who might be able to be a friend to a new guy who might need someone to look past his jerk of the month act?"

"My boyfriend goes there!" Trent giggled, "He's a really great guy, and a senior next year. I bet he'll find the new kid a friend."

Flint laughed and blushed.

"Enough flirting people." Santana grumbled, "We need to go back to the Security Post where we left Billy and see whether they've had any luck finding her son."

"Keep an eye out for fairies on the way." Dave said a little too loudly, earning him a strange look from a passing middle aged couple.

"I wish we could work out what they were doing." Kurt muttered, "I'm sure we're just staring the answer in the face, but just not seeing it. I'm starting to feel ill from the tension. Maybe Billy will have good news for us."

He stumbled for a second.

"Damn!" He said looking at the others, "Blaine said the Ferry just blew up. We'd better find those pixies fast. Can't let the A Team beat us!"

"They can't beat us Kurtie. " Brittany smiled, "They may be the A team, but we're the Gay Team!"

"Britt?" Santana asked slowly.

"Well, Flint and I are bi, but it's still better than Blaine's team, We all qualify, unlike poor David who's only an Asian by marriage." The blonde girl was rolling her eyes at her girlfriend's slow uptake.

"The...the Gay Team?" Kurt finally sputtered out.

"Yeah! " Brittany nodded enthusiastically, "We should get T-shirts made!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine stopped moving the instant Tina grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" The girl whispered urgently, "Think! Why would they blow up the ferry when they've gone to so much trouble to make everything seem normal?"

Blaine thought.  
>He thought with all the focused power of a genuine Timelord.<p>

"It's a test, a trap."Wes said.

Blaine nodded.

"If we race out to rescue those people, the bad guys will know we're here." David said softly.

"But we can't just leave them there to drown." Mike answered.

"Look, "Tina said, "There are already boats heading this way."

"What about the people in the water?" David asked.

"Already on it..." Blaine was concentrating hard. "...there!"

"What did you do?" Tina asked.

"I'm a dragon, remember, with power over water and earth? I've altered the salinity of the bay's water in that spot, it's saltier than the Dead Sea now."

Wes nodded smiling, then turned and explained to David who was looking puzzled.  
>"It's almost impossible to drown in the Dead Sea, the high salt concentration means you float so high you can lie on your back and read a newspaper without it getting wet."<p>

"Plus, I made sure that anyone who was face down got flipped face up before I did it. Anyway, now I think we should use this opportunity to turn their distraction to our advantage." Blaine said.

"Time to move in? I'm for it!" Wes smiled.

"Wes, you and David head for the gift shop as we discussed. Tina and Mike, go check out those buildings and see what you can do to free the National Guard soldiers. Make sure they see your id badges so they know we're on their side."

Blaine was already pulling his helmet on, both to hide his identity and to make use of the night vision capabilities Roberta had designed into it.

"I wish we'd had time to make enough of these helmets for everyone." Tina said wistfully as she pulled her helmet on too. "But I suppose Kurt and the others won't need them at the airport, as long as the power holds out."

"Even if it goes out, Trent and Kurt could have torches burning in no time, "David chuckled, "Not to forget Brittany's special trick."

That's out Britt, "Tina laughed, "Only she would wish for something like that."

"Ok, time to go, be careful people, "Blaine's voice in their earpieces was tense, "I'm going to scout out the base of the statue. Make sure you stay on this special frequency and call me if you need help. We don't have an angel to heal us this time, so be extra vigilant."

Tina smiled reassuringly at him as she let her silver skin flow over her body.  
>The shining metal was successfully hidden by her clothes and face mask, the last sliver of silver disappearing as she tugged her collar a little higher and headed for the open air.<p>

Mike smiled too.  
>"Don't worry Blaine, I can dodge anything as slow as a bullet in my sleep."<p>

Wes and David held hands and went invisible.

Blaine was alone under the pier.

"Ok dumb-ass, time to get a wriggle on." He muttered to himself.

A few seconds later the almost invisible, muscular figure of a ninja hobbit pulled itself over the wall and blended into the bushes and trees of Liberty Island with barely a ripple of movement.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was feeling that something was wrong.

He wasn't sure what, but he just knew that something wasn't right.

"This must be how Blaine feels when his spider senses start tingling, "He muttered to himself, "Maybe I'm channelling his powers again without realising it."

Billy had met them near the lounge she and her son had been waiting in before he disappeared.  
>Her face had told them all they needed to know.<p>

"I don't understand it!" Trent had finally exclaimed, his frustration boiling over, "This is one of the most tightly secured and well equipped airports in the entire world. There are enough cameras and detectors in this building to power a mission to Mars, and not one of them has spotted a small boy wearing a blue sailor suit? I mean, come on! It's a sailor suit! People should be able to spot it easily."

"I've talked to the cameras and they haven't seen him for hours." Kurt said, unthinkingly.

Billy looked at him, puzzled.

"I mean...I talked to the camera operators...in the security control room...that's who I meant..."

"How on earth did you get hold of them?" Billy asked, "It has taken me hours just to get to talk to someone who actually works here full time. Most of the security detail here are ring ins or temporary staff thrown into the place to cover the busy holiday time."

"I...I have a knack for it?" Kurt wished he had been channelling Blaine's Speech powers instead of his danger sense.

Flint tripped over his own feet and knocked Santana just as she lifted a bottle of water to her lips.  
>The water bottle dropped to the ground and split open, dousing the carpet beneath their feet.<p>

"Watch out Muscles!" Santana began to snap until she noticed Flint's pointed look to her, and his subtle nod to the floor.

She looked down and saw the scorch mark underneath Trent's feet.

"Flint, your baby looks like he needs a neck rub or something, he's getting a little hot under the collar."

Trent looked at her in confusion before he also spotted the scorch marks and blushed.

"I...I have some anger management issues." He sheepishly offered as a remark to Billy.

The woman simply nodded and ran her fingers through her hair.  
>"I think if the security here don't make some progress soon you won't be the only one steaming mad!"<p>

"I'm sure Elliot will be alright."Flint smiled at her.

"I'm starting to worry about him though," Billy sighed, "He would have been found by now if he was able to move around or talk to someone. He's a good boy. He knows to go find a policeman or a person in uniform if anything happens that scares him or if he gets lost. The fact that he hasn't been able to find someone, means he might be..."

"Let's not borrow trouble before it finds us!" Kurt interjected hurriedly, "Now, you said you were sitting over there near the wall, right?"

"Yes, "Billy nodded towards a small row of plastic seats tucked into a corner of the wall. "Elliot said he had seen...something...he was very excited. I was too tired to pay him much attention, plus I was trying to argue our case with the woman at that counter."

She pointed to the airline counter a few feet away.

"I told Elliot to sit back down and play with his game and he walked back to here. I turned to argue some more, and ...I was only looking this way for a few minutes...when I turned back he was just..."

She began to weep gently.

Kurt wrapped his arms around her and let her sob against his chest.  
>"It's ok honey, we'll find him. We'll..."<p>

Kurt got a strange look on his face.

"Billy, "He said slowly, "When you said 'his game', was that an electronic game by chance?"

The woman nodded, drying her eyes as she did so.

"Just a cheap knockoff of a Nintendo DS, but he loves the old arcade games I downloaded onto it. I sometimes think he is a throwback to my childhood. He loves all the old games, the old clothes. His favourite band is Van Halen! He's six and he knows all the words to Jump! He's what is called 'gifted' you know. He has a reading age of twelve."

"Do you still have the game?" Kurt asked.

Billy nodded.

"He must have dropped it. I found it lying on the floor over there near the exit and I just dropped it into my handbag. I was too busy trying to get someone to help me to..."

"May I see it?"

Kurt held his hand out.

Billy reached into her bag and handed the small electronic device over.  
>"You'll need the password. I keep it locked so that Elliot doesn't..."<p>

The device beeped and turned itself on.

"What on earth...?"

Kurt bit his lip for a few seconds then shrugged and smiled gently at the puzzled woman.  
>"Billy, just don't get too freaked out ok? We don't have much time left I think...no, I know we don't...you might see or hear some things that don't seem possible, just know, we're on your side, and we will be finding Elliot, alive and unharmed and bringing him back to you."<p>

Kurt looked at the device in his hand.

"Did you see what happened?" He asked it, "One beep for yes, two for no."

Billy was startled when the game controller beeped once.

"No...this will take too long...hang on..." He pulled his phone out and hit a speed dial button. "Dad? I need you and Roberta here for a few minutes please, just give me ten seconds to set up a Glamour then appear...um...two feet to my left, ok?"

The others heard his statement and gently pulled Billy out of the area Kurt had mentioned.  
>Kurt concentrated for a second or two and Billy noticed that suddenly, no one else in the crowded room seemed to be looking in their direction.<p>

"Ok, Billy, I'm going to introduce you to my Dad, ok? "

Billy nodded silently, her eyes wide.

A man, dressed in red flannel and old jeans was suddenly standing next to her, a shining laptop in his hands.  
>There was a woman's face on the screen.<p>

"Billy, this is Burt Hummel, my dad, Dad, this is Billy, the mother of the lost boy. Roberta, this is Billy's hand-held game who saw what happened to him. Could you...?"

::Of course I can Kurt, hang on::

Billy looked at the image on the screen.

"Oh, how rude of me!" Kurt said, "Billy, this is Roberta, she's...um...she's Roberta. She's going to talk to...um...yeah, just go with it honey, ok?"

::The boy was talking to the game as he waited for his mother to finish. He saw another... 'thingummy' and tried to follow it. When it left the lounge area, he decided to 'ask a policeman' and talked to a man in the security uniform. The game says the man listened carefully to the boy, but it doesn't know what happened then because the boy dropped it suddenly and it landed face down::

"Games have faces?" Brittany whispered loudly.

::It landed on the off switch::

"Damn!" Santana hissed.

"But...but none of the security people mentioned ever talking to him." Billy said.

"That's your response? " Santana asked, "You get confronted by a teleporting old guy and a talking computer and all you focus on is that one of the security guards forgot about your son?"

"I'm a mother. I don't care if you people are a bunch of invading Martians. You are the only people who have even tried to find my son. That means that whatever weirdness you are into, I don't care. All I care about is him."

"I find it hard to believe that the security staff wouldn't remember a conversation with a small boy that occurred just a few minutes before a small boy goes missing. Are we sure the machine is remembering it right?" Trent asked. "Maybe it's just telling us something it thinks we want to hear?"

"Machines tend not to lie Trent, "Kurt said, "Only people do that."

"Maybe the Policeman was lying then?" Brittany said simply, suddenly getting distracted by the flickering of one of the overhead lights, "I know that happens sometimes. Santana got really mad that one time at the mall when she found out about the security guy in the changing rooms. I told her he was on shoplifting prevention patrol but she said that he still wasn't allowed to stay in the room with..."

"But why would one of the security guys lie? Why would one of the security guys take my son? A six year old boy tells you some fanciful story about seeing a pixie in the middle of JFK airport and suddenly you decide to kidnap him? Why?" Billy was shaking with fear now.

"Billy!" Kurt said loudly to snap her out of her panic, "Stay calm. Panicking will only make things worse. You need to focus so you can help us find Elliot."

Billy took a deep breath and then bit her lip, her eyes widening.  
>"Elliot wasn't playing when he said he saw a pixie was he?"<p>

Kurt shook his head slowly. "No, he wasn't. It's a bit much to try to go into at this stage, but...well...let's just say, there is a lot going on that people just aren't seeing."

Billy looked at him and for the first time she felt a little hope trickle into her heart.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Remember David, whatever happens do not let go of my hand."

"We have done this before Wesley, and my memory hasn't been totally obliterated yet."

"I'm just nervous baby, "Wes said as he and David crouched in the deep shadows behind the Liberty Island gift shop.

"It's not that far Wes. We've phased through solid stuff a much longer distance than we'll need to to get into the cellar,"

"I know, but I just keep having this awful image of you letting go of my hand and...I don't know what that might do to you, but it couldn't be good."

David pulled his shivering friend closer to him and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"I promise to hold on to you honey. I promise I'll never, ever let you go, ok?"

Wes blushed and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up you dork, and get your Harry Potter on, it's time to go ghost mode!"

The two boys faded into total invisibility even as they stepped in perfect step into the wall.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Santana was about ten seconds away from grabbing the harried security chief out from behind her desk and hurling her into, or possibly through, the nearest wall.

Kurt was trying, yet again to explain the situation to the woman, but she was just nodding and seemed not to hear a word he said.

"...so if you could just..."

"Look son," the woman smiled tightly at him, "I understand that you're worried on behalf of your friend, but I assure you that everything that can be reasonably..."

"Oh to hell with this!" Santana finally snapped, "One of your casual workers has obviously taken the boy. You have a major infiltration going on here and you are so busy shovelling this pathetic snow job onto us that you aren't even listening to what we're saying."

The woman frowned, her polite smile vanishing in an instant.  
>"Young woman, be careful how you speak to me or I will have you arrest..."<p>

She stopped in mid word as Kurt held out the Homeland Security id badge.  
>It was genuine alright.<p>

"I didn't want to pull rank Chief Gonzalez, but we actually do know what we're talking about. So, I ask again. Who was the officer assigned to the mezzanine transit lounge at about noon today?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Tina was laughing as she felt the claws and fangs sliding uselessly across her metal skin.  
>Even the tears in her jump suit were repairing themselves as she moved through the fight.<p>

"Remind me to tell Quinn when we get back that she does really good work!" She said as her boyfriend blurred past her, several more of the strange beast creatures in hot pursuit.

The creatures abandoned their speeding prey and turned towards the slight figure in the dark jumpsuit.

"Oh honey, more Werewolves, for me? You shouldn't have."

Tina smiled as the fangs came closer.

"Hello boys!" She said, "Would you like me to tell you something I've already learned earlier tonight? Those stories about Werewolves and what happens to them when silver injures them? Totally true!"

Mike smiled as he heard the howls of pain behind him and went in search of more of the killer lycanthropes to bring back to amuse his girlfriend.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Hey Kurt, "Jeff asked as the personnel files scrolled across the security computer, "That's him right?"

Jeff pointed to the photograph of the man they believed might have had something to do with Elliot's abduction.

"Yeah, "Kurt said as he read the file, "There's nothing to indicate why he would do anything so...Oh my God."

"What?" the others chorused as Kurt gasped in shock.

"That's the same guy who was escorting that guy Brittany clocked to the infirmary!" Dave said as he read over Jeff's shoulder, "Maybe we should check on him too?"

A few moments later their worries were confirmed.  
>No one had been brought to the infirmary this evening.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Mercedes grunted in pain as another bomb went off, showering her in shrapnel.  
>Behind her the uninjured police officers had finally finished cutting the trapped officers free from the wreckage of their car and were using the slight safety offered by her interposing body to drag them all to cover.<p>

"Girl, I don't know what sort of angel you are, but you keep doing whatever it is you are doing." One of them said as she watched another hail of broken glass bounce of the young girl's skin.

"I just wish we had some healing for you guys." Azimio said as he finally finished pulling the rubble off another armoured vehicle and could come fetch the injured police.

"I might be able to help with that!" Sam said as he ran up, holding a strange electronic device in his hand.

One of the younger soldiers who was helping lay down covering fire from their combined position blinked as he spotted the device.

"Is that...a Star Trek medical tricorder?"

Sam smiled, "It is now. Turns out my sonic screwdriver has multiple personalities!"

The soldier blinked in confusion as another Sam clambered over the rubble, helping Leroy Berry carry a stretcher.

A third Sam came behind them, helping Hiram Berry carry another stretcher.

"Where's Coach?" Azimio asked.

A huge roar of anger presaged an enormous crash as a black-tinted SUV was hurled through the air into the third floor window from which the terrorists had been shooting at the police and army in the streets.

"She's getting her inner Hulk to negotiate with the terrorists."Hiram Berry smiled as he and Sam laid down their burden and the first Sam hurried over to deliver the best that twenty-fifth century fictional medicine could offer.

"Sam honey? How many have you got out there now?" Mercedes asked quietly as she relaxed at last.

"We three are the last, "the Sam holding the tricorder said as one of the others began offering water around the makeshift defensive position and the other came up to Mercedes to offer a kiss.

"One of me got hit and killed by that last rocket attack. Now I know what Kurt and Blaine mean. It really does hurt like a ...well, you know..."said the Sam who looped his arm around Mercedes' shoulders and brushed the broken glass off her suit.

"Still no ill effect?" Leroy Berry asked the Sam who was holding out a water bottle to him. "I noticed you starting to fade a bit once you got up to a dozen copies, and I also noticed that just after that copy was killed you had to reabsorb most of yourselves."

"I'm a lot stronger now than I was, "That Sam replied, "But actually, I might need to completely rejoin for a while. It's getting harder to maintain as I tire."

The police woman Mercedes had spoken to earlier watched as the three identical boys moved towards each other and melded seamlessly into one.

"Damn girl, you dating that?"

Mercedes smiled and nodded shyly.

The police woman shook her head at the thoughts she was having  
>"Just...damn!"<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Sebastian Smythe was praying to a God he didn't believe existed for a salvation he didn't believe he deserved.

At first he had thought that he was suffering from too much alcohol, or perhaps he was having some sort of drug induced flashback.  
>Eventually he had been forced to accept that what was happening to him wasn't just a bad dream.<p>

The plastic zip tie that kept his left wrist uncomfortably close to the searing hot pipes in whatever room this might be was slowly but surely cutting off his circulation.

He watched silently as the last ambulance officer was held down by the strange shadowy creatures and exposed to the substance these terrorists were experimenting with.

"Don't look Mister, "the small boy's voice was almost inaudible. "You'll have bad dreams if you look."

Sebastian knew it was already too late.  
>He might never sleep properly again.<p>

If he even lived.

The officer began to cough and choke as he lay in the middle of the circle the fake security officer had inscribed in the metal floor of the room.

The first man had only lasted a few seconds, this one seemed to be taking several minutes.

The Security Officer nodded as he watched the struggling man begin to cough even more.

"They tried it on me first, "said the small boy again, "But it didn't work. Not fast enough they said. But the lady they tried it on after they fixed it, she only lasted a few seconds. They were mad after that. I think they need it to take long enough for people to get home before they start getting sick. That way everyone will get sick, not just the people in the airport."

"How old are you again kid?" Sebastian asked as they both avoided looking at the still struggling man dying in the magic circle.

"Six." said the small boy, "And my name is Elliot."

"You're pretty smart for six, Elliot. What are you going to be like once you grow up I wonder?"

The small boy was quiet for a while.

"I don't think I'm going to grow up, "He finally whispered, "They were mad that I didn't get sick fast enough, not that I didn't get sick."

Sebastian looked at the serious, adult look in the child's eyes and felt his heart breaking.  
>Shadows under the child's eyes and his too-pale skin showed the early signs of whatever disease these bio-terrorists were planning to unleash on JFK.<p>

"Come here Elliot." He whispered, holding out his free arm.

"You might get sick Mister, my mom explained to me about how sick gets spread around. I don't want you to get sick too."

"My name is Sebastian." Sebastian said, one last prayer spearing up from his heart, "And I'm willing to take the risk if it means I get a hug."

Elliot snuggled into the offered embrace and both boys tried not to cry.

"Are you scared Mist...Sebastian?"

Sebastian watched as the ambulance officer coughed up his last breath.

"No. "He lied, "Not if you're here to keep me company."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Blaine sat in the deepest part of the shadow cast by the base of the statue, his vision enhanced by Roberta's amazing helmet.

"We're nearly there Blaine," Tina's voice crackled over the static of his headset, "We'll be coming in from the south, so try not to get too excited and whack us as we round the corner, ok?"

"I've already apologised ten times for that." Blaine muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"It still hurts." David said simply, "Why couldn't you have swung at Wes when we phased through the wall? Your fist would just have passed right through him. But, no, you have to hit the minority."

"What? Do you seriously think I hit you because you're..."

"Not Asian? You hit me! You threw me into the wall! I have a bruise!"

"I told you not to let go of my hand David." Wes muttered. "And you neglected to tell Blaine, where, your bruise is."

Blaine was puzzled at Wes's smirk until he noticed how carefully David was sitting on the ground near them.

"I could call Burt and see if he could get Dave and Jeff over here to kiss it better if you like David." Blaine said flatly.

David tried to play outraged but couldn't hide his giggle.

"No, that's cool Blaine, I think we should wait for at least our one month anniversary before Wes and I start having threesomes."

Wes made them both laugh when he pretended to consider the possibilities.

"We're here." Mike breathed almost silently as he and Tina came around the corner and slumped to the ground.

"National Guards all safe?" Wes asked.

"They're out of their prison, re-armed and the guard dogs...guard werewolves rather, have been taken care of. What about your charges?" Tina asked.

"We've got the police and civilians out of the cellar they were locked in and we knocked out and imprisoned the forces guarding them. They're staying put in the gift shop building though until we give them the all clear. Without weapons or body armour they're just too vulnerable out in the open." Wes seemed pleased with himself.

"Well, are we ready for the main course?" Blaine asked, gesturing up at the statue above them. "I've taken out about twenty armed thugs on the ground floor, but there are at least three times that number still in there. Plus, Lady Liberty has some unwanted guests in her head that I couldn't get a good fix on. "

The others indicated their preparedness.

"Wes, David, I don't feel like fighting our way up all those stairs, do you think you are strong enough to ghost me, yourselves, and Tina and Mike while I give you all a lift to the top? We'd just need to phase through the windows on the crown deck then."

Wes thought about it and nodded.

"Good!" Blaine smiled wearily, "Once we get in, Tina and Mike can hold the stairwell against the rest of the goons while you two and I take care of the forces on the observation deck. I can't sense anyone in the torch, but if we have problems from there I'll just go through the windows the old fashioned way and deal with it, even if it does mean more repairs."

"Any word from Kurt and the others?" Tina asked softly,

Blaine's face was grim.  
>"Kurt says they've found out that some of the staff members have been replaced or possibly possessed. To make matters worse, now that security know their reports are unreliable it turns out there are at least ten civilians missing. I'm starting to think that they're going to need us soon, so let's get our mess cleared up and then go help them with theirs."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The lights were flickering again, and the concourse was definitely getting warmer as Kurt and the others regrouped near the security offices.

"Still no sign?" Santana growled her question at the others.

Trent shook his head.

"Is it my imagination or is it getting warmer in here?" Jeff asked quietly.

"It's not me, "Trent said quickly, "I'm controlling myself a lot..."

"Shh honey, "Flint said, rubbing his hand across Trent's back reassuringly, "I agree, it is getting warm in here. The aircon must be on the fritz or something."

Brittany looked up at the flickering lights. "The lights are unhappy too."

"Great, "Santana muttered, "That's all we need, heat stroke on top of being blown up by some terrorists."

Brittany slipped her arm into her girlfriends arm.

"Maybe the snow will melt in the heat?" She said brightly.

"What snow?" Santana said, regretting her question even as it left her lips.

"The snow the shadow pixies were carrying."

Kurt turned from where he was comforting Billy and his face lit up as if he had had a major inspiration.

"Britt is right! What was it that those creatures were carrying, and why is it so important?"

"I just hope Elliot has something to drink if he's trapped somewhere in this heat, "Billy said softly, "He'll get sick otherwise."

Kurt's eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind.  
>A terrible thought.<p>

The lights flickered again.

"Seriously!" Santana grumbled, "What is it with these lights? Princess, can you do anything about them, or the heat? I thought you had ways of..."

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Kurt's alarmed face.

"Agent Hummel! There you are, "The now cooperative Security Chief was holding out a folder to the slender boy, "I collated those personnel files you..."

"I need to know where the controls and the service points are for your air-conditioning systems." Kurt snapped at the woman, "I need a schematic, a location and access to the security footage near those areas asap."

The woman wordlessly gestured him into her office.

"Oh my God. "Dave whispered as his slight telepathic connection with Kurt flared into life again. "Everyone, into the office now, we need to drop our cover and the fewer people who see..."

They all squeezed into the manager's office and shut the door.

While Kurt and the Security manager searched for the information Kurt needed, Dave hurriedly explained what Kurt had deduced.

"Bioterrorism. "He said simply, "Disease, spread through the air-conditioning, designed I assume to be highly contagious, but not to raise any alarms until enough passengers have spread it across the entire country...hell, across the world. I need to check us all out, and to do that I need to...um... 'wing up' so to speak. Billy, you've been really great so far about all the weird, try not to freak out too much now, ok?"

Dave's wings spread out across the room as his eyes began to search the bodies of his friends for signs of contamination.  
>At his side, Jeff's silver wings of light shimmered into faint existence as he supplied his boyfriend with enough power to do the scan quickly and thoroughly.<p>

The Security manager crossed herself, but managed not to faint, or scream.  
>"You guys...are...are you guys from the FBI or..."<p>

"We have direct authority from the White House, "Flint said calmly, "President Obama knows about this, he sent us here."

The woman gave a small laugh and a twisted smile, "Obama knows Angels? I wish I had voted now."

"Voting is a responsibility, not a privilege." Brittany said seriously. "And could you tell me where you keep your fire extinguisher please?"

"Over there." The woman pointed to the red canister attached to the wall.

"Oh, cool, thanks. I'm going to need it in a few seconds."

Brittany picked the extinguisher off the wall, but made no move to use it.

"Britt, honey, "Trent said, "You need to unclip the hose and pull the pin if you want to put a fire out."

Brittany smiled at them, "Oh it's ok. I don't need it for the stuff inside it, I need it because it's made of iron."

And smiling, she swung the heavy metal canister with great speed directly at the back of the Security Chief's skull

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Well, now we know that, I'm kind of sad that you guys fought at the park instead of at Radio City with us."

Blaine was barely breaking a sweat as he hovered in midair, holding several well armed and armoured terrorists in his silver coils.

Over by the doors, Tina and Mike were running out of places to stack the unconscious bodies of the men and women who were attacking from downstairs.

They had discovered the ideal position, with Tina in front, bullets and knives simply bouncing off her armoured body, while Mike was simply reaching around her, their telepathic bond allowing them to move as one person, snatching his chosen terrorist and knocking him or her out before the individual concerned even knew what was happening.

The weakness in the terrorists' plans, Blaine decided, was their reliance on their 'secret weapon'.

No sooner had Blaine and the others phased through the observation windows and into the crown of the Statue of Liberty but the terrorists had unleashed their hidden reserve.

Blaine had to admit, for a few seconds he and the others had almost panicked as they realised that almost twenty of the insubstantial Ban-Sidhe creatures had been hiding in the area, waiting for their chance to pounce on would-be heroes.

Tina and Mike had held them off for a few seconds with nothing more than a love-filled smile at each other.  
>Positive emotions still acted as a real protection against the ghostly shades.<p>

It was when one, slightly bolder vampire had dared to threaten David that the group discovered that they too had a secret advantage.

Wes could touch them.

The creatures seemed unable to comprehend their danger.  
>Wes had tried to pull the creature, who was draining the life from his boyfriend, away from the gasping boy's form, but to no avail.<p>

In desperation he had used his phasing power to try to make David fall through the floor to a safer place.

Instead, the two boys had discovered that, while phasing, the creatures were as solid as any normal being to them.

The Ban-Sidhe had relied for millennia on their lack of physical form protecting them from harm, and on their ability to weaken the resolve of their opponents and increase their despair.

In the face of an unshakeable love between two boys who could actually, physically touch them they hadn't lasted long.

Not only were the creatures physically weak compared to a healthy, athletic teen, but more than a mere fleeting touch from either boy seemed to disrupt their very existence.

The entire fight against the ghosts had lasted less than five minutes, after which Wes and David were able to assist the others in mopping up the last of the physical threats.

Blaine finished squeezing the last few armed fighters into unconsciousness and dropped their bodies onto the floor, neatly.

As Tina and the others finished tying up and stacking the rest, Blaine noticed the wires that trailed out the window and up onto the top of the statue's head.

They led from a small electronic device which lay on the floor next to where the man holding it had been standing.

"I hope that isn't what I think it is, "Mike said softly, "Because I'm pretty sure the guy who was holding it managed to press it when we came through. It can't have been a bomb though, or it would have gone off by now, surely."

"Rooftop?" Blaine said.

"Everyone on board the Dragon-Express!" Wes chirped, "I'm feeling strong enough to get us back through the windows at least."

"The mayor is going to be awfully mad if we let them blow up one of the most iconic landmarks in the entire world. "Tina muttered, "Let's hope the hard part is over now."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Sebastian could feel his skin beginning to grow clammy, and his throat was starting to burn.

Although he knew he was developing symptoms more slowly than the previous victims of the foul experiments, it had to be still too fast for the terrorists' plans to succeed.

So why did the man look so pleased?

"I think they know what to do now." Elliot whispered to him. "While you were coughing that last time, they did something to that magic ball he keeps looking at, and then he nodded."

Great, Sebastian thought, at least I get to die before the rest of the world starts to panic.

Beside him, Elliot was coughing too.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

As the fire extinguisher connected with the back of the Security Chief's head, several things happened at once.

She dropped to the floor, blood already pooling around her unconscious form.  
>Dave's wings flashed out again and both he and Jeff hissed in pain as they hurriedly took the fearsome wound from the fallen woman.<br>Everyone stood, gaping at Brittany as she smiled innocently at them, the bloody extinguisher still in her grasp.

From the darkly glistening pool of blood on the floor a shadowy form rose up, barely visible, but still identifiable as one of the Ban-Sidhe.

The creature reached for the closest person and began to pass into their body.

Brittany's body.

Before even Santana could do more than reach towards her girlfriend, the creature had disappeared inside the blond cheerleader.

Everyone stood in horror as Brittany's body twisted and she dropped the metal canister.  
>She turned towards them, an alien expression of hatred and disdain upon her normally placid features.<p>

"Fools!" She hissed in a voice that was so utterly wrong it made them all feel ill. "We have prepared for...what?...no...I am...I am stronger than you..."

Brittany shook as if she were about to have a full-on seizure, then her she stood straight and calm like she normally did and closed her eyes.

"Well, "She said in her normal voice, "You might have been prepared I suppose, but I just knew that you'd try something like this. Also, I don't think you're a boy scout, or a girl scout. Do evil ghost things have boys and girls plumbing? I also knew that I'd need a fire extinguisher, but I admit I didn't know why until I actually picked it up and saw what was going to happen. Now, do you want a chance to say sorry to the lady you were using before I send you away?...No?...Oh well."

A shimmer of light flared behind Brittany's closed eyelids and she seemed to relax a little.  
>She opened her eyes again and smiled at Santana.<p>

"It really didn't like being inside me Tanny. I think it might have been allergic to rainbows."

The Security Chief reached for Kurt's hand and he helped her to her chair where she sat, still a little groggy.

"Three days, "She whispered, "That thing has been in my head for three days."

She shook with restrained sobs but blinked her tears away and reached for the computer mouse.

"They're using this cooling tower and switch room as a base, "She said rapidly, "But the doors and even the roof are mined and no one can get in or out without setting off all sorts of alarms, both electronic and ...magical I suppose is the word."

Kurt looked at the schematic and swore under his breath.

"There's not even enough room to get Dad to teleport us in there with any chance of safe landing." He said softly.

"They've been holding their subjects here." The chief indicated the long but narrow service tunnels around and above the central cooling tower,

"Subjects?" Trent asked.

"They've been trying to perfect the incubation period for the disease. It needs to work fast enough to kill before a cure can be found, but it has to take at least a day or two to manifest so that it will spread far enough to be unstoppable."

The Chief's face was pale as she said that.

"Elliot." Billy hissed. "Oh my god."

"He's still alive." The Chief interjected swiftly, "The creature in my head kept thinking about the 'stupid human boy who wouldn't die'. I think they've tried to infect him, but it's taking too long to manifest. The next person they tried it on died within seconds, so they've been experimenting with people they've kidnapped or taken to try to improve their weapon."

"We have to get him out of there!' Billy was terrified.

Kurt was examining the maps.

"There's just no way to get in there before they could kill the hostages. Nothing bigger than one of those pixies could..."

He stopped and gasped.

"I can get in there. Nothing bigger than a pixie could get through those wiring ducts. A pixie...or a mouse."

He looked at the others.  
>"We'll need to get everyone as close as we can, then I'll go in and try to protect the hostages while you come to the rescue. Ok?"<p>

Santana linked her pinkie with Brittany and grinned at Kurt.  
>"Ready."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Ok, I want to know why the bad guys always have to put a big, highly visible timer on every bomb they make. "Wes asked as they all stood on the top of Liberty's head and looked at the device that was humming and ticking ominously in front of them.

"I'd presume it's so the bad guys know when the device has been successfully activated, "Tina answered, "And exactly how long they've got to get away from the big bang."

"It's not very big, "Mike said. "Why does that fact actually make me more scared?"

In truth, the bomb, if that is what it was, was only the size of a large suitcase.  
>It was covered in shiny metal and a red digital display was counting down on top of it.<br>If it was accurate, they had about six minutes left.

"Kurt can't help us, "Blaine said as his boyfriend's thoughts faded from his mind. "They've got some sort of world-ending bio-terrorism threat going on at JFK and he just can't get here in time."

"What I want to know is this." David said softly, "Why would they want to blow up the Statue of Liberty? I mean, it would upset and maybe dishearten a lot of people, but if these terrorists are capable of fielding several hundred well armed mercenaries for a mission, doesn't it all seem a bit petty to just make a symbolic gesture?"

"I think we have more to worry about than questioning their motives." Blaine muttered.

"What?" David asked.

"If you wanted to destroy the statue, surely you'd put the bomb at the base. "Tina said, picking up on Blaine's line of thinking. "Not on top of it."

"Let's have a closer look, "Blaine said, "Kurt has lent me enough of his machine powers to at least be able to check it out for...ah, there are several booby traps on it. We can open it up safely, but trying to remove it from the roof or even moving it too much will set it off immediately."

"Open it carefully then." Wes whispered, reaching for David's hand.

As Blaine pulled the cover from the top of the device with carefully applied super strength, they noticed that the inside of the casing was filled with some sort of shiny grey powder.

At the same instant a large section of each of their sleeves began to change colour, rapidly altering from the dark grey to which they had become accustomed to red, and then edging into bright orange.

Blaine's sleeve went through orange and began to take on yellow tinges, edged with a virulent green.

"That can't be good." David said calmly.

"Roberta and Quinn planted a few extra special features into our suits." Tina said, "I think this is the radiation warning. The good news is, it uses the rainbow as a guide to danger levels, so we're safe for the moment."

"Radiation warning?" Wes choked out. "If that's the good news..."

Blaine was staring at the large case, filled with grey, metallic dust. Dust that was barely stirring at all despite the high winds up on top of the statue.

"The dust is too heavy for the wind to move properly." He said, "Too heavy."

"It's a dirty bomb." Mike said, "Blow radioactive waste into the air hard enough for the wind to be able to carry it over the tri-state area. Millions will die or get very, very sick."

"Plus one of the most heavily populated and important parts of America will be rendered a deadly wasteland for centuries." Wes hissed.

"So, we have about four minutes to save the world it seems." Blaine said quietly.

Tina nodded.  
>"Again."<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

If he had been alone Sebastian knew he would already have given in to despair.

He knew his weaknesses.

He was shallow, hedonistic and selfish.  
>He only ever cared about his own agenda.<p>

He used people, read them, learned their triggers and buttons and weaknesses.  
>Then he used them.<p>

But underneath all his bravado, Sebastian Smythe knew he was worthless.

Inside his inner thoughts he was actually amazed at how he was reacting to his situation.

Despite the obvious hopelessness, and impending death, he was forcing himself to keep up a facade of bravery and self-control.

He was not going to let his last few moments on Earth involve letting down the small but incredibly mature boy currently cuddling into him.

He could feel his fever growing, although he didn't feel warm.  
>He felt cold.<p>

The only sources of heat were the damned hot water conduit his wrist was attached to by the damned plastic zip-tie, and the too hot body of the small boy who even now was coughing again.

Sebastian watched his white shirt become even more stained with blood spray.

Maybe he was hallucinating now, the blood seemed to glow so red, so bright.

He felt his blood throbbing through his own veins and arteries, in time to the pulsing light from that damned crystal the damned zombie security...

Sebastian stifled his own coughing fit and used his free hand to rub comfort into Elliot's back.

There was a snake looking at him.

It was small, and dark grey and had the most incredible blue eyes, or were they green...no, maybe they were grey too.

The snake and Sebastian stared at each other for a few seconds, and then...it... it...winked?

Elliot whispered into his chest.  
>"That snake is winking at us, are you a wizard?"<p>

Sebastian almost laughed.  
>"No...I wish... but if I was a wizard I'd be a Slytherin for sure, and a brave Gryffindor like you wouldn't want to be near me."<p>

"I'd be a Ravenclaw, "Elliot argued, "Because I'm clever. My mom said so when she let me read the books. And I'd want to be your friend even if you were in Slytherin. Snape was in Slytherin and he was a hero, just like you."

Sebastian smiled at that.

Here he was, hallucinating as he was dying while a precocious six year old who it seemed had actually not only read but understood the entire Harry Potter...

The snake hissed quietly and glared at them.  
>Then it nudged his foot.<p>

"Oh my god, it's real!" Sebastian gasped.

The snake actually rolled its eyes at him.

The snake turned and poked its head back into the wiring conduit it had come from, returning a few seconds later dragging a pair of large gold coins.

It dragged the coins to where Sebastian could reach them with his free arm and pointed at him with its nose.

"Elliot..."

"I see it too, it wants us to take the coins."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it looks a lot nicer than the pixie things, so I think we should trust it."

Sebastian couldn't really argue with that.

He picked up a coin.

The snake nodded again and then...suddenly, it was a large rat.

Sebastian almost let out a shout but stopped when he saw the rat placing its paw in front of its mouth in the universal sign for silence.

Plus, the eyes were the same, and they looked kind, even if they were glaring a little.

The rat looked frustrated at itself for a second, then repeated the silence gesture and began to carefully climb up Sebastian's shoulder and arm until it reached the plastic tie holding him in place against the wall.

It began to gnaw through the tough plastic with razor sharp teeth.  
>He could feel its teeth scraping against but not breaking the swollen skin of his trapped wrist.<p>

In a few seconds the pain of returning circulation almost made Sebastian cry out again, but Elliot had anticipated that and blocked his mouth with his small fist.

"Sorry." Elliot hissed as Sebastian felt his lip split.

The rat was staring at them again, and then at the coins in their hands.

A faint image began to flicker in Sebastian's mind.

There was...a cake?... candles... people smiling...singing... the cake... the candles...the coins...

He shook his head.

"Birthday cake!" Elliot whispered, "Make a wish?"

The rat nodded so vigorously it dislodged itself from the precarious perch on Sebastian's arm and would have fallen to the floor had Sebastian not caught it in mid air.

More images.

...A swimming pool...sliding back...a space ship taking off... puppets...

"Thunderbirds!" Elliot grinned.

"International... you're here to rescue us?" Sebastian asked.

The rat nodded, and then pointed its nose towards the heavily barred doors.

It held its paw up with...two claws extended.

"Two more minutes?" Sebastian guessed. "But those things will swarm over us and kill us before anyone can get through the door."

He indicated the unconscious, dying and dead bodies of the other hostages that lay motionless behind their position and the swarm of shadow pixies that surrounded the man holding the glowing crystal.

The rat sighed and tapped the coin in Elliot's hand.

"You want us to wish for safety?" Sebastian asked, "How do they work? What happens when we make a wish? What should we..."

"It's magic silly." Elliot whispered, "When we make a wish, we get whatever it is we wish for. That's how magic works Sebastian. Let me handle this."

Elliot whispered something into the rat's ear and the rat nodded in reply.

Then he held up a hand in a 'please wait' gesture, and climbed down onto the floor again.

Seconds later, a small grey spider was scuttling unseen across the wall and ceiling above the terrorist and his pixie guards.  
>Sebastian and Elliot were only able to spot it because they had followed its path.<p>

The spider waved a couple of legs at them.  
>Elliot whispered something into his hands and his coin vanished.<p>

Seconds later, the door tore off its hinges and the rescue arrived.

A whirling, screaming demon made of black diamond fibres, two angels, a human torch, a rather muscular looking boy in a grey jump suit who seemed to be surrounded by a force field and... a rainbow with eyes that seemed to be singing the theme tune to My Little Pony.

Then what looked like a Grizzly Bear dropped onto the terrorist from above and started eating shadows.

Sebastian fainted at last.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Tina, "Blaine asked, his brain going into rapid-fire Timelord mode. "How much of your silver skin can you make and separate from your body?"

"I'm not sure, a lot."

"Can you make a sphere large enough to fit me and the bomb inside?"

"I think so, but if you're inside when that thing blows..."

"We'll need to time this perfectly." Blaine said, "We'll need to do what Quinn did with us, but we don't have time to get her here. Mike, Tina, you remember rescuing Artie?"

Mike nodded while Tina gasped as she realised what Blaine had in mind.

Wes was concerned.  
>"But even if you contain the explosion, we'll still need to contain the nuclear dust. That stuff is lethal, even to you Blaine."<p>

"I can survive it long enough to use my Dragon powers. I can accelerate the radioactive decay using my Earth Dragon abilities. I did it before with the last bomb I found. Hundreds of thousands of years of decay forced into a few seconds. Yeah it will almost certainly kill me, but I should still be able to regenerate, and even if I can't...well...Kurt knows I loved him."

"You'll just need to survive the initial explosion." David said slowly, "So you need Wes, Mike and Tina to sync up so that everything happens at the exact moment the bomb explodes. Wes makes you insubstantial, so the force and the heat just pass right through you. Tina needs to close the sphere at the instant after that, which will make Wes's power stop..."

"...but I should be able to survive on my own if he can get me through that first fraction of a second." Blaine added.

"And you need my super speed so that we can get the timing perfect, yes?" Mike was nodding.

"What should I do? David said.

Blaine looked at him grimly for a few seconds.  
>"Contact the others back at the hotel. I know this will work to stop the bomb, but if this does manage to kill me permanently, Burt and Carole will need to get to Kurt. He'll need their support."<p>

David wanted to argue with him.

"No time, "Blaine said, pointing at the remaining seconds on the timer, "Ok guys, Wes, we're going to lead you through it. We only have one chance at this, so... here goes nothing."

David watched as Blaine turned to his Dragon form and enveloped the bomb in his coils.

Wes, Mike and Tina began to breathe in unison as Tina wove a huge sphere around the Dragon and Wes used his phasing powers to make sure that even the bottom of the sphere was perfectly closed.

Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths.

The sphere flashed closed.

Mike, Tina and Wes dropped to the surface of the statue, unconscious.

The silver sphere shook and rang like a bell.

David knelt down and prayed for a miracle.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It was over.

Elliot clung to his mother and cried without stopping.  
>Sebastian just lay there, letting the sounds around him wash over him.<p>

They were out of that room at last.

Sebastian felt carpet under his face as he lay on the floor.

"Kurt, we have a problem."

It was the big guy talking, the one with the amazing muscles and the hot ass.

Only now he was wearing the same grey jumpsuit as the rest of them.

So was his cute boyfriend, the blond.

Sebastian was trying to summon the energy to get up, but he barely managed to move his arm a few inches.

He felt so weak.

"You healed all the hostages who were still alive, "The Security Chief was saying to them, "I saw you, why aren't they getting up yet?"

"That's what I was trying to say. I don't heal people, I take their wounds from them. But I can't touch this illness." The big guy, Dave someone had called him, was sweating.

"But you've taken diseases and infections before..."The sexy elf was talking again, the one who had been the bear...and the rat...and the snake.

"But I can't touch this one, and to make matters worse, I think it's already been spreading."

Kurt...that was his name, he swore under his breath.

"I'll get Dad to bring Roberta, and maybe Lord T. We need some knowledge and experience here I think."

"Which is why I decided to grace you with both."

It was a tall, cruel looking woman with ice-blue eyes. She was standing beside an almost comically old Asian man dressed in amazing robes and a gorgeous blonde girl who was carrying a laptop in her arms.

A very, very large cat was sitting at their feet.

"The terrorist leader was carrying this." Kurt said, holding out the crystal the man who had hurt Elliot had been so obsessed with.  
>He was using a scarf to avoid touching it with his bare flesh.<p>

The newcomers all looked at the crystal and simultaneously hissed in recognition.  
>Even the computer generated image on the laptop screen hissed at it.<p>

It was almost comical.

Sebastian managed to bring himself up to a sitting position.

He was only a few feet from where the conversation was taking place. He saw Elliot and a woman who must be his mother sitting over the corridor in some seats in a cleared out transit lounge.

No one seemed to have been paying much attention to him, except for a sweet looking blonde girl who Sebastian recognised as the one who had punched him out earlier that day.

She waved he fingers at him and smiled.

Sebastian waved back.

"So Coach." Dave was asking the tall woman, "Why can't I seem to touch this disease? And I am right aren't I, it has already begun spreading?"

"I'm afraid so Meatwings." The tall woman answered, "It's too late it seems. This is a focus crystal. It's an artefact of black magic. The terrorists aren't just relying on a disease to kill everyone, they've bound it up with a curse."

"So, we can just break it then."Kurt said simply.

"Not so easy I'm afraid Mr Hummel." The cat answered in a deep voice.

Sebastian hardly blinked at that.

"They've made the curse triple layered." The cat continued. "No one can touch it unless they are already dying from the disease, but Fae beings, and those who wear the rings or have made a wish cannot contract the disease. That was obviously to stop us being able to unravel the curse easily."

"What's the third layer?"Dave asked.

"Love alone isn't enough to power the solution. It needs a death." The tall woman they had called 'Coach' seemed almost admiring of the device.

"So, I'll die to cure everyone," said Dave, "I've already done it before."

"Or I'll do it," Said Kurt, "I'm the Phoenix remember, I can't die permanently, ever."

The old lady was shaking her head again.

"Sorry Chunks, Porcelain, first, neither of you can affect its magic at all, remember, and it requires a true death, a death with no hope of coming back. It's the despair that such a death makes in the victim that provides the extra energy.

"So we need someone who has enough love in them to willingly die, with no hope of being brought back in order to stop this disease spreading and to heal the victims who are already dying?" Kurt said. "Well, we are officially screwed."

As he said that, he suddenly stiffened as if hit by a huge electric shock and then he screamed.

"Blaine!"

Kurt collapsed to the floor.

Everyone began to crowd around him, shouting in confusion, but he lay silent and still, as if his heart had suddenly given out.

Sebastian noticed that Elliot was trying to see what was happening, but he was too weak to stand up from his mother's lap.

His face was pale, apart from the blood trickling from his eyes and nose.

Then Sebastian noticed the crystal Kurt had been holding.  
>It lay a few feet from him, under some seats, ignored by everyone as they tried to work out what was wrong with their friend.<p>

He thought...maybe, he might be able to reach it.

Sebastian found the coin he had been clutching when he passed out.

As he had come to after the fight, he had just slipped it into his pocket when Dave, the big guy, had been lifting him up to carry him to safety.

Sebastian smiled to himself, at least he'd gotten to feel those muscles before he...

He slowly crawled over to the forgotten crystal and with a hiss of pain, reached out and grabbed it.

It was cold and slimy and hot and spiky all at the same time.

Sebastian was lost now, he didn't know what to do.

He looked over at where Elliot lay in his mom's arms, so still, so pale.

Sebastian looked down at the crystal, and touched his coin to it.

"Give it to me." He whispered, "The disease, everywhere, in everyone exposed. Give it all to me. Let me be the last victim. Please, it's my wish. Let me do this one good thing. Let him live. Let them all live. I'll pay the price for them. It's all I deserve."

The coin vanished, and the crystal dissolved into his hands, absorbing into the skin.

Elliot began to cough again, but it seemed to be a hopeful sound now, not a despairing one.

Sebastian looked over at the pair, Elliot and his mom.

He felt...so cold.

His vision was fading, as he took one last look around the room.

This carpet is so cheap, he thought, and it totally clashes with my jacket.  
>Of course I'm going to end it all, being ignored on the floor of an airport smelling of blood and stale sweat.<br>I'm surprised I even care, he thought.

He saw the pretty blond girl smiling at him again, and waving.

No, not a girl, I want to die looking at a hot guy's ass at least, he thought to himself.

He tried to turn to look at that Dave guy again.

The world went black.

.

"Britt honey? Why are you crying?" Santana asked.

"No reason, "Brittany sobbed, "This carpet clashes with everyone's clothes."


	62. Not On My Watch

**A hasty update popped into my head, no doubt the bunnies didn't want too much angst this early in the year. **

**Reviews are, as always, begged for pathetically.  
><strong>

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or NYC. Doodie questions will be referred to the panel of judges._  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

_._

_._

_He was alive._

_He was...he was..._

_...was he alive?_

_._

_There was no pain, at least. There was no feeling at all, come to think of it._

_...burning...burning pain...burning... so hot...Damn it, he was dead after all._

_He couldn't feel his own breath. He must be dead, at last. So why could he still hear voices?_

_._

_Someone was screaming...something..._

_...a word, over and over again..._

_...It was... was it his name?_

_._

_But he was dead...names weren't important anymore..._

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Kurt! Please, for God's sake just..."  
>"Princess! Wake up for fucks sake, just open your..."<br>"Kurt, you can't die, you can't leave Blaine like this. You can't leave me like this..."  
>"Mr Hummel, you're just in separation shock. It will pass, but you have to..."<p>

.

_Kurt? Who was Kurt?_

_...burning...burning..._

_Kurt is the Phoenix...I...I am...he is... the Phoenix...I can't die..._

_Blaine! I can't feel you...I can't touch you...come back..._

_...burning...dying...over and over and..._

_Kurt...I can't...I can't...not enough left to..._

.

Kurt opened his eyes.  
>Everyone crowed around him stepped back as they saw the flames burning in his eyes.<p>

"Blaine!" Kurt screamed. "Blaine is dying."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Wes baby, please wake up."

David was frantic, clutching his boyfriend to his chest and trying really hard to keep it all together.

Tina and Mike were still lying motionless on the top of the statue's head while the silver sphere that had contained the explosion of the dirty bomb was...

Ringing.

David could hear and feel the vibrations coming from the sphere as whatever was happening inside shook it.

Finally Wes started to respond to him.

"...mwmpph...five more minutes please David...need to..."

"Baby, wake up, please, we need you, I need you."

Wes opened his eyes and stared fuzzily at his boyfriend.

"Why are you crying?"

"Wes! Oh my God, please baby, I thought...I thought I was going to lose..."

"Shh silly. I'm not lost, I'm here, in your arms...mmm... lovely chocolaty arms...I love you...why is there a bell ringing?"

"Mike?"

Tina sat up slowly and looked around her.

Mike stirred in his sleep and reached towards the sound of her voice.

"Tina! You're here too, and Mike! Mike has amazing abs Tina, did I tell you that? I bet they're so much fun to lick. Oh wait, you probably already know th..."

"Wes, you need to be quiet now. You're still a little bit out of it."  
>David held him a bit tighter.<p>

"David! You want to lick Mike's abs too, don't you? And Tina is so cute too. They're over there, didn't you see them? I was talking to Tina but I don't think she heard me. It must be the noise of that bell. Why is there a..."

Wes blinked a few times and his gaze cleared a little.

"David. How long have we been out?"

"Only about two minutes, but I was so scared baby."

"Where's Blaine?"

"Where is Blaine?" Tina asked shakily as she helped Mike slowly sit up and stretch.

"He's still in there." David pointed at the silver sphere that was still vibrating and ringing like a church bell.

"Ooh," Tina muttered, "That can't be good."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Only Brittany noticed the still, unbreathing body lying a few feet from where everyone had crowded around Kurt.

Brittany, and Sue that is.

"Hey! Featherbutt, you're needed over here." Sue Sylvester pointed at Sebastian's still body, "I'd hurry if I were you. Porcelain will be fine once his Hobbit Husband makes it back into our time stream. It's Mr Tall, Dark and Slutty here that needs your special brand of nice-nice now."

Dave turned away from where he knelt over Kurt and finally noticed Sebastian.

"What? What happened?" He asked.

"He saved the world by sacrificing himself." Sue grunted, "So hurry up and heal the loser before it's too late to bring him back."

"But you said..."Jeff was confused, "You said that the curse needed a permanent death to unravel it. If we bring him back..."

"I have no memory of that." Sue said blankly, "In fact, I think what you'll find I said was 'no hope of survival'. It's not the death that was important, it was the 'knowing you're about to die forever' part that made it work."

"You mean..."

"Just make with the wings, please."

"You lied?"

"You act like I don't do that all the time, please, what is it with you people? It must be all that music, it rots brain cells. Just bring the hero back so we can avoid the tears from his future husband, ok?"

Brittany nodded.  
>"Although I think it might be too late already Coach."<p>

Dave concentrated and tried to reach for the faltering life force in the battered and bloodied body lying on the cheap airport carpet.

There was a scream, a child's scream.

"Bastian! No!"

Elliot struggled free of his mother's arms and threw himself across the corridor and onto the still body.

Dave was struggling to coax the flickering flame of Sebastian's energy back to life.

Elliot was still screaming Sebastian's name as tears ran freely down his cheeks.  
>Billy stood over the two of them, unsure of what was going on, or what to do.<p>

"Baby, you need to come back here and leave that poor boy alone. He's at peace now."

"No! No he isn't! He can't die. He can't. He's a wizard mom, he's my wizard. I won't let him go. He's important. He's worth saving. I have to save him! We have to be wizards together, forever, he promised me."

Elliot was shaking with emotion, his voice sounding much more mature than any six year old should.

Dave could feel the last of Sebastian's life slipping away.

"I'm sorry, "Dave whispered, "I can't...I just can't..."

"No!" Elliot shouted so loudly that everyone rocked on their feet from the sheer force of it.

He knelt over the dead body his hands clenched together so tightly that his fingers turned white.

"Live! Live Sebastian! Damn you, I said LIVE!"

Elliot punched downwards into the centre of Sebastian's chest and there was a huge flash of silver light that blinded everyone in the room for a few seconds.

When their vision cleared, Elliot was unconscious on the floor, draped over Sebastian's chest.  
>They watched as the small boy's body rose and fell slightly, in time with Sebastian's shallow but steady breathing.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So, should we...?" Wes was asking.

"I think it might be safer not to touch anything, "Mike said, "Blaine is either alive in there, in which case everything will be alright eventually, or he's dead and unable to regenerate, in which case opening the sphere will just make everything worse."

"Did you manage to get the phones in the helmets working again?" Tina asked.

"Still out, "David sighed, "I think the explosion must have triggered a small EMP or something, or maybe the radiation interfered with the electronics. At least our sleeves are back to grey."

"A positive sign, I agree." Tina nodded.

"I'm still worried about Blaine." Wes said, "It usually doesn't take this long for him to regenerate, does it?"

"Who knows, "Tina said quietly, "None of us are Geek enough to be huge Dr Who nerds, and even if we were, Blaine isn't a stereotypical Timelord anyway. He might have a whole different set of rules about regeneration."

"I was talking to Sam about it, "Mike said softly, "He was saying, so long as there were enough cells left undamaged from whatever it is that tries to kill a Timelord, they can rebuild themselves again."

"So...being trapped in a sphere with an explosion involving hundreds of pounds of spent nuclear waste and cell destroying radiation...not particularly good?" Tina was even more worried now.

"If Kurt was here he'd know what to do." David said.

"If Kurt could survive Blaine not being here that is." Wes said grimly.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Blaine...Blaine! Answer me!_

_...burning...dying...burning...dying...burning..._

.

Kurt could feel Blaine's life force, his very soul trying to answer, trying to rebuild itself, but there was nothing for it to rebuild. Every cell in his body had been destroyed, or damaged beyond the point where his regenerative powers could begin to work.

Blaine was dying over and over again as he tried to come back to his soul mate.

If only I had gone there instead, Kurt thought, I could have survived that.

Kurt had an idea, but he had to warn everyone first.

.

"Back...get back... keep...contain...protect everyone...explosion...Blaine!"

The group gathered around Kurt's fallen form immediately made some room around him.  
>Dave turned and picked up the still unconscious, but breathing body of Sebastian, while Nick, who had been standing back, keeping a watchful eye on Quinn, moved over and picked up the sleeping form of Elliot.<p>

"Flint, you better put up a shield around him, just in case, "Quinn said softly, "And everyone, get ready for anything. I have no idea what Kurt is about to try."

"Knowing Porcelain it will probably be crazy and break all the rules." Sue said.

Kurt's body was flickering with flames now, as well as with silver sparks, and a strange golden glow that seemed familiar to them.

"I... told...you...not...call...that..." Kurt hissed as he closed his eyes in effort and reached...

There was a flash of light that blinded them all totally.

Sebastian and Elliot opened their eyes a second later, their first sight being each other.

All that remained on the carpet was a smear of blood, glowing violently.

Kurt was gone.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Wes and Tina looked at each other as the silver sphere began to ring even more loudly, and begin to rise into the air.

"Grab hold of me, now!" Wes shouted over the din.

As his friends grasped his hands, Wes phased them so that no physical harm could befall them.

"Should we phase through to the next level?" Wes asked, shouting now.

"No, "Tina said, "Blaine might need our help, and if we're down there, we will find it hard to get back up here."

The sphere exploded.

Silver sparks and flames lit up the entire harbour, and most of the downtown area.  
>Like a million fireworks let off at the same time, even the polarising function embedded in their helmets failed for a few seconds.<p>

When their vision cleared, a huge bird composed of pure flames hovered over the statue, shrieking its defiance of death.

It had to be visible for miles.

The bird vanished.

Kurt stood on the statue's crown, breathing heavily.  
>He turned to the others and beckoned them closer.<p>

He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it.

"Bramley!" he shouted, "Get my Dad here now please. I need him. Guide him here."

Seconds later, Burt Hummel appeared, staggering a little as he discovered the uneven footing and the high winds.  
>The silver figure of Bramley was sitting on his left shoulder, Ben-Davis on his right.<p>

"Daddy!" Kurt's voice was hoarse from screaming, "Airport, JFK, the same lounge as before. Take us there now. Hurry!"

The Statue of Liberty was alone, at last.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The glow was so bright that none of them could even bear to look in that direction now.

A few seconds later, and the glow finally subsided.  
>Everyone turned to look at the spot where Kurt had vanished.<p>

They stood, staring in disbelief for a few more seconds.

Finally, Santana broke the silence.  
>"Puck is going to be so pissed off he missed this."<p>

Sebastian had finally looked away from Elliot's gaze and the first thing he saw was...

For a second he thought he had died and gone to heaven after all.

"He hasn't got clothes on." Elliot said.

"Don't look!" Billy and Sebastian said simultaneously.

"Why not?" Elliot asked simply.

"Because...it's rude." Sebastian said, flustered.

"Why?"

"Because...um..."

"Not wearing clothes isn't rude. It's normal, if you're having a bath or something. Are bodies rude Sebastian?"

Sebastian had recovered her wits at last.

"It's not rude Elliot, but most people prefer to wear clothes when they are out in the public with people they don't know. That poor man is hurt, I think, so he doesn't even know he's not got clothes on. He might be very embarrassed if he knew he was being seen by all of us while he can't dress himself, so we should be polite and try not to look."

Elliot, for all his precocious intellect was still a six year old in most ways and accepted this explanation at face value.

"Oh, ok. I don't want him to be embarrassed. He looks like he's nice, doesn't he Sebastian?"

Sebastian was trying to think pure thoughts.

"Very nice." He said, nodding. "Here...um...Dave isn't it? Take my jacket and...and...here."

Dave took the crumpled material and laid it over Blaine's still form.

"He has a really big doodie doesn't he?" Elliot chimed.

Luckily Kurt and the others arrived before Sebastian had to answer that one.

.

"Blaine!" Kurt cried out as they materialised, rushing to his boyfriend's fallen form.

"Kurt, he's gone. " Dave was weeping, "I mean, his body is alive, it's in perfect health actually, but there's no spark inside it. He's gone Kurt."

Kurt smiled at the weeping angel and laughed lightly.

"No he isn't Dave, he's here." He said, touching his own chest.

He knelt beside Blaine and reached down to kiss him.

Golden light flowed from Kurt's mouth and eyes, swirling and dancing as he breathed out, disappearing into Blaine's body as he breathed in.  
>In a few seconds their forms were hidden by a shimmering golden light again.<p>

Quinn smiled, nodding, and focused her gaze at the pair.

Blaine opened his eyes as the glow faded and smiled, returning the kiss.

"Hello love."

"I heard you Blaine, I heard you, and I came."

"You found me, I knew you would. I knew you'd keep me safe."

Trent was confused, he wasn't alone.

"What just happened?" He asked Wes.

Wes thought about it for a while.  
>"I think...Blaine couldn't regenerate while taking on that much radiation, so Kurt swapped places with him, so that Blaine could regenerate here, and Kurt could just burn up and be reborn there. Blaine's soul wasn't strong enough to make the transfer without a body, so Kurt sent the body, or what was left of it, here, and kept Blaine's life force inside himself until he could return it."<p>

"Absolutely correct I think Mr Montgomery." Lord Tubbing ton said formally, "All utterly impossible of course, but I'm coming to expect that with these two."

"Nice pants Blaine." Santana said.

Blaine looked down.

His grey jumpsuit had been vaporised by the explosion, and now he was wearing some sort of crude shorts made from...what looked like suit material.

"Best I could do boys, sorry." Quinn said smiling. "Let's get everyone back to the hotel and debrief."

.

"Blaine already did that!" Brittany chirped cheerfully. "It was hot!"


	63. How Much Are You Worth?

**Hello all! Me again, and not half a damned year after the last update either! Woot!  
>This chapter is a little sad and dark, I suspect some of the next few might also be thus – hopefully the sun will come out soon though.<strong>

**I was amused to note the minor kerfuffle on the interwebs brought about by Chris Colfer making remarks about fanfics etc.  
>Everyone seemed to be in a panic about it.<strong>

**Hopefully, in the unlikely event that someone from the show actually READS this fiction (esp. Chris or Darren or Max or Riker) I would hope that they accept it in the spirit I intended it, and aren't too disappointed with my treatment of the fruits of their acting talents and choices.**

**I'm especially worried about Chris, because he's a writer too, and we tend to notice things.  
>At least I know I've tried to avoid smutty bits (not that smut is wrong or bad – it just wouldn't fit with this particular fic)<strong>

**Besides, I truly suck at writing smut anyway – I've tried, and I fail every time. Windrider1967 says it's probably because I have lived it, so describing it bores me.  
>(And she's a friend? Sheesh!)<br>(Just teasing dear heart, I truly love you, you're good people)**

**Anyway – if Chris or Darren (et al) do read this, I wish there some way to find out what you thought about it, but I realise that such an event would be simply fraught with peril (or just plain weirdness) from your point of view) so I shall imagine a favourable reception and hope that if I ever do finally get around to writing a bestselling novel, I can fulfil my recurring dream of insisting that I learn to write the screenplay of it by working with Mr Colfer. **

**I suspect we'd at least be a good working team, even if I am old, strange and more than a little over famine resistant. (i.e. big boned all over, even in my cheeks) – friends are always fun to make.**

**Now! **

**There are some pretty rude words in this fic – so if such things offend, get over it.  
>People in real life get called these things every day – and they can really scar.<br>Mind you, if you've actually stuck with this megawordymonsterosaurus for this long, you're probably the sort of person who would tell a hater to go hate somewhere else, preferably in traffic or in a volcano or something.**

**Reviews are, as always, pathetically begged for and gloriously treasured if forthcoming.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or Fox, or NYC or anything really cool. I wish I could work on shows like that, but I'm too lazy and/or timid to take the plunge, and too used to listening to my own inner demons to be able to listen to my dreams (half the time anyway). Sigh, way to start the fic on an epic downer dude...**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The voice was barely audible, but it seemed familiar.

"...don't know how it is he's alive...diseased...should be dead..."

.

_**...you disgust me...go...get out...go to that whore of a mother of yours...**_

It was his father's voice.

_**...you say you were born this way? ...not my son...it's a disease...sick in the head...perverted choices...**_

The man was shouting now, he'd probably start throwing things around soon, or throwing things at him, again.

_**...you go then...leave...go die in the gutters ...diseased slut...you don't deserve better...**_

He tried to move, tried to hide from the anger he was hearing, but his limbs weren't working.  
>He was trapped.<p>

_**...shameless...pervert...bastard...ungrateful...embarrassment...abortion...failure...faggot...**_

"Sebastian? Sebastian? Are you ok? It's ok, you're safe, wake up!"

He couldn't move, couldn't escape, all he could hear was his father's voice as his father shook him and slapped him.

_**...slut...whore...degenerate...queer...**_

"Jeff, Jeff, he's trapped in some sort of nightmare. I tried to talk to him, but it just made it worse. I touched his shoulder and now he's terrified. He thinks I'm attacking him. I don't know what to do."

Silver light flared around him, and he found himself floating in blackness, surrounded by countless stars.  
>It was beautiful.<p>

His father's voice was almost completely inaudible, at last.

Almost.

.

Jeff was holding tight to Dave's shaking form as Dr Lopez checked over her newest patient.

"It's ok Bird, "Jeff whispered in his ear, "It's not you. You didn't do anything wrong. He would have reacted to anyone like that. I've seen inside his emotions. He's a mess Dave. Someone has been trying to systematically destroy this poor guy for years."

Dave Karofsky continued to weep silently, but the strength and surety of his boyfriend's arms was slowly performing its magic.

Dr Lopez was nodding.  
>"I didn't realise it, but I think he may have been nearing consciousness when we were talking about his miraculous return from the dead. If his self esteem is as fragile as Jeff says, then he might have latched on to some of the words we were using and had a flashback into some sort of memory of past abuse."<p>

"Miracle is correct Dr Lopez." Lord Tubbington said gravely from the couch in the corner of the hotel suite. "I was there. He died. Dave's powers of healing were barely enough to slow his final departure. I'm still not sure how that small boy managed to call him back."

"Well, if we're going to discuss it further, we should do it away from here, so we don't disturb him again." Dr Lopez said firmly, "He'll sleep for another few hours I think. Could you call my nurse to keep an eye on him?"

"No need, we're here already, "said the pretty teen girl who walked through the door at that moment, holding the hand of the large, ugly boy with shaggy black hair.

"Just watch him for me Meggle, please."Dr Lopez said, "If he wakes up and is agitated again, just try to calm him and call me, or Jeff."

"Ok Theresa." The girl smiled.

The youth beside her looked thoughtful.  
>"If he's having issues with people in his past, he might be a little freaked out to have two strangers watching him if he wakes up. It might be better if we were in our real forms Meggle. That way we won't be a threat to him."<p>

Dave finally smiled.  
>"You're a smart dog, Dog."<p>

/**love Dave**/blush, embarrassment/

Dog was already in his canine form.  
>A few moments later the small, neat form of a ginger cat curled up on the bed next to Sebastian and settled down to watch him.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"If it wasn't Dave that healed him, then what was it?" Kurt was asking the small group assembled in his and Blaine's apartment.

To avoid interruption, it had been decided to hold this meeting away from the conference room they had been using.  
>Too many people from the Lima group were using it as a safe common area.<br>It was easier, especially for those who had only recently developed special powers, for them to relax together in a place where they didn't run the risk of accidentally flying or levitating an object or something.

Kurt and Blaine were sitting in a large armchair in the lounge area of the apartment Donald Trump had lent them for their time in New York.  
>Actually, Blaine was technically sitting on Kurt, who had wrapped his arms around him tightly.<p>

Blaine was curled up in his lap, leaning his face against the smooth plane of Kurt's upper chest while his lips twitched in a faint smile.  
>He looked utterly at peace, and totally comfortable.<p>

Burt, Carole and the Andersons were both sneaking peeks at their sons and simply smiling.

Even Sue had been forced to bite her lip to prevent a smile of pleasure from leaking out of her at the sight.

"We need to establish that, yes Mr Hummel, "Lord Tubbington said solemnly, "But we also need to discuss what you did in rescuing Mr Anderson here. To my mind, that would appear to be even more impossible than the young boy's seeming ability to call Mr Smythe back from final death."

"It wasn't that impossible, surely," Kurt said, "I mean, I did it, so it can't have been impossible."

"I'm still hazy on that point, "Santana asked from where she was sitting on the thick lamb's wool rug cradling Brittany's head on her lap as the blond girt slept. "How exactly did you manage to swap places with Blaine? I thought your dad was the one who could teleport himself."

"What about the fact that you held Blaine's soul inside you until you could reunite it with his body? "Lord Tubbington asked, "How could you do that?"

"Oh that's the easy part." Carole said simply, "I think any of us could do that for the one we love. Our other halves are already so much a part of us."

"I can answer your question, I think, Santana." Quinn said softly. "I was watching the heartlines."

"The what?"

"Heartlines, it's what I've been calling those silver threads that connect us all in the web Kurt created for Dave." Quinn's voice was soft, but clear. "I think Kurt actually used the lines to move from one point on the web to another."

Dave and Jeff arrived in the room, with Dr Lopez close behind them.

"Are we talking about Kurt swapping places with Blaine?" Jeff asked. "He used Dave, we worked it out while we were waiting for Dr Lopez to finish examining Sebastian."

Even Pang was confused.

"What?" Lord Tubbington asked.

"He used me as a point to anchor from." Dave said, "I didn't realise it at the time, but afterwards, when Jeff and I were talking about how it all felt while it was happening, we realised that Kurt had sort of used me as a point to swing against, like NASA scientists sometimes use the moon or the Earth to slingshot a rocket around so it can get more acceleration than their fuel can provide on its own."

"I didn't know that was what I was doing, "Kurt said, "But now you explain it, I think it's obvious."

"But how...? Elaine Anderson was puzzled, "I can see how a connection as strong as that between Kurt and Blaine could be used that way, but...I mean, Dave and Kurt aren't linked by their rings or..."

"We are actually, "Kurt said softly, "Not the same way as me and Blaine, but...we have a link there."

Jeff was nodding, "Kurt and Dave love each other almost as much as Dave and I love each other, or Kurt and Blaine. And I've known Blaine for years and have pretty strong feelings for him. I'm not saying we're all going to wind up in some sort of hippie communal marriage or anything, but we all know how we feel. We've even been sharing a telepathic bond between each other for days now. Just because we're linked doesn't mean we're falling in love either. I think if Burt had been there he could have acted as the pivot point too.

"It also helped that I had Tina and Mike at the other end, with Blaine." Kurt said, "We all linked when we all helped rescue Artie. The link was still there and it was easy to re-establish."

"Ok, "Elaine Anderson nodded, smiling, "So that leaves us with how a six year old boy can bring someone back from the dead when Dave could barely slow his dying down."

"The silver flash was definitely magical signature of ring." Pang said. "But I examine the boy, and there is no ring now."

"His voice was different too, "Quinn said, "He sounded...older."

Brittany mumbled something in her sleep.

"What did she say?" Lord Tubbington asked.

Santana shrugged lightly.  
>"I think she was talking about Mr Doodie over there. She was mumbling something about Blaine and 'best man' or something."<p>

Blaine gasped.

"Hey, easy Hobbit, it was impressive but I'm still playing for the other team here!"

"No, I think I know what it was that gave Elliot the power." Blaine said blushing slightly, "He and Sebastian don't have a link now, but they will. I think Elliot and Sebastian are going to become a Godmother pairing at some point in the future."

"Is that possible?" Kurt asked, squeezing Blaine just a little to make sure he felt loved after the reminder of his embarrassment. "Can magic from the future actually affect something in the present like that?"

"Possible is a pretty damned fluid concept these days Kurt." Sue snarled. "I still haven't decided if I like that or not."

"So...if Brittany and Blaine are right, does that mean Elliot and Sebastian are in some sort of relationship now?" John Anderson asked, " I don't think his mother will approve, he's only six."

"He turns seven in a month, "Kurt said quietly, "And Sebastian just turned seventeen. Ten years roughly is the difference. I agree, right now the difference between them is insurmountable, but remember, we're talking about the future here. When Elliot is eighteen , Sebastian will be twenty eight. Not quite as bad a difference. When Elliot is forty Sebastian will be fifty. No one would even bat an eyelid at that relationship would they?"

"So what should we do about them?" John Anderson asked.

"Nothing." Carole said simply, "I think we should just leave them alone. It's obvious that they already care for each other a lot. Let them alone. We shouldn't even mention it to them, or to Billy. Elliot isn't going to be ready for any sort of romantic relationship for years to come is he? There's no rush."

"I think Sebastian might take even longer, "Jeff said quietly, "I had a bit of a snoop inside his emotions when Dr Lopez was examining him physically. He's a mess. I went deeper than that cursory scan I did when Brittany punched him out Kurt. He's... it was horrible. Someone has been abusing him for years. Tina came and helped me link up his feelings to some names and images in his mind. I think his father has been deliberately trying to destroy any shred of self worth or confidence in his son since he was old enough to speak. There was evidence of enormous emotional strain, as well as physical signs, you know, lots and lots of old breaks in his ribs and wrists and the like."

"What sort of monster would do that?" Burt growled.

"Tina and I saw some evidence of his mother trying to help him. But only recently. Before that time she seemed to be a figure he viewed with contempt. I suspect she was well and truly under his father's thumb too. Then something changed. There were huge feelings of abandonment in his mind when he thought about her, but they were slowly changing. He's been living with her for the last couple of years. I think she finally got the courage to escape the marriage, but couldn't or wouldn't help her son. We think his dad might have kicked him out when he found out about him being gay. There were certainly images of violence and mental cruelty all linked to the memories of his sexuality."

"It's amazing that he's as normal as he is, "Dave said through clenched teeth, "We have to help him. We just have to."

"If his Dad is so down on him, why is he being brought home then?" Santana asked.

"Ah, Roberta gave me a message for you on that one, "Dr Lopez said. "She's been researching the public, and not so public records about the Smythe family. Sebastian's mother filed for divorce about four years ago, citing 'mental cruelty', but the papers were later changed to 'irreconcilable differences'. I think that sounds like some sort of deal was made. Sebastian came to live with her two years ago, she paid for the tickets. Both parents are wealthy. Andrew, the father, is a lawyer, formerly a partner in a prestigious firm in LA, but currently about to start as the State Attorney for Ohio. He's worth millions. The mother, Catherine was old money, serious old money. Roberta says his mother was killed in some sort of traffic accident in Paris a few months ago. Sebastian was being cared for since then by his housekeeper and her family. It seems that she, his mom that is, was set to inherit even more millions from her family, and now, it all goes into trust for Sebastian until he turns twenty five. Since his mother died without appointing a trustee..."

"Let me guess, his Dad gets to control the money?" Quinn said sadly, "And suddenly the gay son is no longer worthless. Why do I get the feeling that his father won't have changed his opinions, or his ways?"

"Why would a hotshot lawyer, who makes millions working for fancy firms, take a low paying job working for a State Legislature, and especially for a less prominent state like Ohio?" John Anderson asked.

"Politics. "Sue answered briskly, "I bet you'll find a failed campaign or something in California. If I were planning to start a campaign to get into high office, I'd start in one of the medium swing states, like Ohio. Get a job in the machine, network, find the dirt, and then launch a campaign for congress probably. I think one of the current Congressmen for the district that includes Columbus and Lima is due for retirement soon. He just got re-elected, but he's older than dirt already. If he survives to the next election it would be a miracle. All Smythe needs to do is be ready to take over from him when he retires, or run for the special election if the old coot pops it. It's a damned conservative area around there, so all he has to do is whip up some fear or loathing in the populace and he's a cinch."

"But he doesn't have a fund raising base there, does he? "John Anderson asked, "He'll need some sort of machine to help raise the funds he needs, even for an easy election."

"How much is the inheritance?" Kurt asked. "Could Roberta find out?"

"Fifty million dollars." Dr Lopez said. "That'd fund some serious campaign ads, wouldn't it?"

Blaine looked at Kurt and their eyes unfocused for a second or two.  
>Dave and Jeff laughed.<p>

"What?" Burt asked in confusion.

"We heard that one." Dave snickered, "And the image of how Kurt wanted to give Sebastian's dad the money to just buy him off was...colourful to say the least."

Kurt blushed but his smirk gave away the seriousness of his idea.

"I just don't like the thought of letting a man who would do that to his son get away, not only scot free, but with millions of dollars as a reward." Dr Lopez was angry. "Not to mention that we'd be handing him any election on a plate."

"Oh, I think we might call Sir Henry in the morning and see if he can find a way to free Sebastian from his father's clutches without having to give that monster anything but a bad day." Blaine growled too, "But if paying him off is the only way to get Sebastian free and get him some help. Fifty million isn't even a blip on our radar, remember?"

"Is Roberta still talking with the Joint Chiefs?" Elaine asked Dr Lopez.

"Yes. "She replied, "And Flint, Trent, Wes and David have just gotten back from their meeting with the UN. Oh, and the President will probably want to visit us tomorrow, just before or after lunch his secretary said."

"Let's go get some sleep now then." Quinn said in a tired voice. "It's almost three am. Nick practically had to carry Coach Bieste to her room when she got back from Harlem. And I think the Mr Berry's are still sleeping on the floor of the conference room."

"No, " Sue said, "I spotted Azimio carrying them both to their room as I was coming here."

"At the same time?"Santana asked.

"He'd put them onto one of the sofas from the conference room and was carrying that. The big softie had even wrapped a blanket around them so they wouldn't feel the draft as he was walking." Sue was sneering but her voice had softened. "I made him promise to put the damned sofa back though."

"Nick says when he took Coach Bieste down to sleep, Sam and Mercedes had passed out, fully clothed on Tina's bed. He took their shoes off for them at least. He's not sure where Tina was" Quinn told everyone.

"I think I heard her and Mike talking in his room." Dave said, "They'd have to be out like lights by now. Tina was already wobbly when she was helping us with Sebastian."

"I think we should do the same!" Carole said gently. "Good night all."

Santana left, carrying the sleeping Brittany in her hair.  
>Dave, Kurt and Jeff exchanged telepathic farewells while Blaine continued to snuggle into Kurt's body.<p>

Soon Kurt and Blaine were alone again.

"Let's get you into bed snuggle monster." Kurt murmured as he felt Blaine getting softer and more relaxed against him.

They flew through the air, through the bedroom door, over the peach tree finally gently landing on the crisp sheets.

.  
><em>Goodnight Kurt, I'll dream about you<em>

_Goodnight Blaine, sleep well_

_I love you Kurty-Wurty_

_Blaine! Silly names?_

_Sorry, couldn't resist teasing_

_I forgive you...Mr Doodie!_

.

They both giggled softly, without opening their eyes and kissed, staying connected even as their breath evened out.

Seconds later they were both fast asleep

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Did Blaine say when he and Burt will be back?" Carole asked as she flipped through the book of fabric samples that lay on the coffee table of Kurt and Blaine's borrowed apartment.

"At least another half hour, "Kurt said as he finished off the crepes he was cooking in the small kitchen area. "Damn! Carole, could you go grab me some fruit from our trees? I forgot Brittany was here earlier with Lord Tubbington and she ate everything I had left in the bowl. No wonder she has so much energy. I swear that girl eats enough fructose to power a small city."

"I thought you had your meeting with Sir Henry this morning?"Carole said as she closed the book and headed for the bedroom.

"We did." Kurt replied, concentrating on flipping the crepe perfectly and then sliding onto the stack he had already started. "Lord Tubbington wanted to finally meet the man he's been talking to over the phone for more than fifty years."

"Was Sir Henry able to help?"

"He thinks he should be able to break the trustee arrangements over Sebastian's mother's estate. The custody issue might be a little trickier. But if we can prove a history, or a risk of cruelty or abuse, he should be able to at least delay things long enough to make sure Sebastian is strong enough and stable enough to be able to keep himself safe."

"Good!" Carole's voice was muffled by the door. "Kurt, what fruit did you want?"

"You decide."

The phone on the wall near Kurt buzzed loudly at that moment.  
>Kurt put the pan down and answered the phone.<p>

"Hello? Kurt Hummel."

"Mr Hummel, it's Roger at the front desk. There's a Mr Andrew Smythe here, he insists on seeing his son. He has a couple of people with him and he's most insistent. Ms Lee told us to call you or Mr Anderson if this happened. What do you want us to do?"

"What exactly does 'insistent' mean? Is he being violent?"

"No sir, just...um...he's just..."

"Roger, you work for Donald Trump don't you?"

"Yes Mr Hummel."

"And have you interacted personally with Mr Trump?"

"Many times Mr Hummel."

"And is Mr Trump known for being a bit of an 'insistent' personality?"

"He is Mr Hummel. I get what you're alluding to sir."

"Please don't call me 'sir' Roger, just speak your mind, please. I promise I will neither take offense nor tattle on you."

"He's being an arrogant prick sir...I mean Mr Hummel."

"Worse than...?"

"Mr Trump is extremely particular Mr Hummel, but at least you know he's fair. This guy is..."

"I think I know what he is Roger. Yeah, send him up to the apartment please. I know Song Lee has gone home for the day by now, but could you just call her and tell her about it. And if you could page John and Elaine Anderson for me...I think they might be in the day spa."

"Certainly Mr Hummel. I'll get security to escort him up, rather than one of the reception staff."

"Good heavens, is he that likely to cause a problem?" Kurt was a little worried now.

"Just being safe sir...oops, I mean..."

Kurt just laughed and said goodbye.

He closed his eyes for a second.

.  
><em>Dave...Jeff...can you hear me?<em>

_Kurt? Snuffy, it's Kurt...What's wrong?_

_Is that Dave?_

_And Jeff, what's wrong Kurt?_

_Sebastian's dad has found us earlier than I thought he would, could you warn Dr Lopez for me and then go get...um...I'm not actually sure who would be the best people to have for this meeting._

_I'd say Mr Schue and Ms Pillsbury for this. Coach Sylvester would just shout at him, and maybe my dad too?_

_Great idea Dave, if you could go fetch them? Get Mike to do a run around if you can't spot them quickly_

_On my way!  
><em>.

Dave's mental voice faded and another took its place.

.  
><em>Kurt? Kurt? Do you need me and your dad to hurry home?<em>

_No Blaine, I'm fine. I understand that you need to wait for your passengers. I'll call for you if I need you. You're only a thought away remember_

_I'll call Sir Henry and tell him to expect us, we might need to pop over to his office and bamph him back there_

_Thanks sweetie, I'll hold the fort till you get here I guess_

_Love you_

.

Kurt opened his eyes again.  
>Carole was standing there with a bowl of plums.<p>

"Something up Kurt?" She asked, noting his tension.

"Sebastian's dad has tracked him down super fast it seems." Kurt sighed, "He's on his way up now. Damn, I guess there goes our nice little brunch Carole."

"It's ok sweetie." Carole said putting the bowl on the bench. "Do you need to change?"

Kurt looked down at his clothes.

"Oh my God. I have flour all over me, and this kitchen is a..."

Carole just smiled at him and with a few waves of her hand, he was freshly pressed and the benches were gleaming.

"I hate cheating like this, "She said softly, "But it does save time. Now, is your outfit sufficient?"

Kurt looked at the simple T-shirt and jeans ensemble he had chosen for his day of laziness.  
>Yes, the shirt was black and designer, as were the jeans. But they were both quite plain, and the jeans, at least, were a very relaxed fit...well, compared to the skin tight jeans he normally wore.<br>His boots were handmade, but also quite plain, and they were insanely comfortable...  
>Only an expert in clothing would notice the quality of what he had on...<p>

Did he need to suit up for this occasion? Kurt wondered briefly.

"Actually...this is fine. I don't need to dress up in Marc Jacobs to feel safe anymore. If Mr Smythe doesn't like what I'm wearing, he can go jump."

"Now, do you need me here to greet him or would you like me to leave?" Carole asked gently.

Kurt was torn.

"I want everyone here to talk with him." He said slowly, "But maybe...if I was here alone for the first part, he might feel confident enough to say or do something that might tip his hand as to his plans for Sebastian. I mean, I'm only a teenager, aren't I? He might feel more confident and in control if it's just me to start with. Any advantage we can get could be what helps us beat him in the long run."

"I can go hide in your room until everyone else gets here. I'll tell Burt and Blaine to pop back there when they come. Mr Smythe isn't to know that here isn't another way into the apartment from that direction is he?"

"I doubt he's a regular visitor to Donald Trump's bedroom. Donald doesn't seem the type."

Carole laughed softly as the doorbell chimed.

Kurt smoothed his hair back one more time and flashed a glance at the coffee maker which hissed into action immediately.  
>Kurt whispered a quick thank you to it.<p>

"I'll go hide!" Carole whispered and went back into the bedroom. "I can be out in a flash if you need me. Just whistle."

"I've already got the cameras to move their focus so he'll be on audio and video, just in case we need hard evidence." Kurt said softly.

"Kurt? Are you worried he might get physical, or try to threaten..." Carole was concerned now.

"It's ok Carole. If he tries anything, I'm more than a match for him. Remember, the worst he could do is shoot me dead, and it's not like that would last is it?"

Carole nodded.

.

"And these clothes...it's not like they are particular favourites of mine. I wouldn't be upset to lose them. So long as I can remember to take the boots off before I die, they're too comfortable to just burn up without a really good reason,"


	64. Sang-froid

**Hi guys! Look, I'm on a roll! They may only be fairly short chapters – but I'm finding the bunnies hopping in all sorts of odd directions (or should that be...New directions?) teehee**

**Anyway – some warnings for this short chapter, a lot of language, well, some language, ok, I might have wimped out on MOST of the language, but there is some there still – Adult concepts, a little bit of gore and some violence.**

**Also – Kurt gets insulted a lot, but I think I know what the bunnies have in store.**

**Hope to have another update out fairly soonish – and I so hope I haven't put the mockers on myself by saying that.**

**Reviews? Please? I love long detailed ones, but even a quick "hmm, not totally sucky" can make me feel better if I'm on a down cycle that morning.**

_**DISCLAIMER: The best things in life are free...or covered in chocolate.**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The knocking was quite insistent.

.

"Hang on, I'm coming."

The knocking at the door was louder now, as if the person on the other side had been encouraged when they heard the voice inside answering.

"I said I'm coming. For goodness sake, who died? Give me a minute to get dressed, ok?"

Throwing on a robe she stumbled over to the door.

"Who is it?"She asked, tying the robe shut around her tiny form.

The knocking was almost desperate now, as if the person knocking was on their last legs.

Rachel opened the door.

A figure stood there.

It was...glowing.

He...or was it a young girl? It was impossible to really tell.  
>The brightness of the glow made it painful to try to focus clearly on it.<p>

The figure turned away from her, looking over his or her shoulder.

A flash of silver flickered at the edge of Rachel's vision, and suddenly, the figure's head was severed from its shoulders and Rachel tasted hot blood spraying her face and the robe she was wearing.

She screamed.

.

She was lying in her bed, the book she had been reading heavy across her legs.

It had been a dream.

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief and held her hand to her racing heart.  
>She shook her head gently, and resolved to go talk to Ms Pillsbury, or Dr Lopez, as soon as Finn got back from his walk with Dog.<p>

With all the horrors she had endured or seen over the last few days, it wasn't a shock to her that she might need some therapy.

Rachel was nothing if not eminently self aware.

She picked up her book, hoping she hadn't lost her page, or allowed the spine to be damaged with her careless handling.  
>Rachel loved books.<p>

.

.

The page was smeared with blood.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"My son, where is he? I want to speak to the man in charge please. Go fetch him."

Andrew Smythe was tall, dark and handsome.  
>His two companions were...tall.<p>

One was obviously some sort of hired muscle.  
>It was almost amusing how stereotypically 'mob enforcer' he looked.<p>

Kurt noted the poor quality of the man's tailoring, the shoddy seam-work, and the shiny spots where someone had used an iron set too high for too long.

He noted the way the fabric of the suit jacket was pulled out of the perfect lie by something hidden beneath the left lapel.

Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the terrible job whoever had designed the 'hidden' holster had done.  
>Actually, to be fair to them, it was really the suit maker's fault.<br>Or perhaps, the guy was dumb enough to buy a suit off the rack?

If you know that you're going to be wearing a gun, Kurt thought, then if you want it to remain hidden, you need to invest in proper tailoring.  
>Any half decent tailor could adjust the cut and the sewing to keep the secret bulge from showing.<p>

Amateurs, he thought.

The other man was a lawyer.

If his brief case and expensive suit hadn't hinted at it, then the Harvard tie and the genuine Rolex would have given him a clue.

The main man, Andrew Smythe was...interesting.

He was definitely good looking.

Mid fifties, Kurt estimated, so Sebastian had come relatively late into his life.  
>That indicated planning, and a sense of deliberation.<p>

Sebastian was an only child, born well into the marriage, therefore he had been planned for.  
>By the time his sexuality had been revealed, it was too late to start over I suppose, Kurt thought to himself.<p>

Andrew Smythe was dressed impeccably.

Business suit, not too flashy, but still quality, blue silk shirt, a Yale tie this time, another Rolex? No, Philippe Patak, ok, so he knows his accessories then. Hair...good, obviously where Sebastian gets his from. That salt and pepper look is just a little too perfect to be natural though, and his eyebrows have been tinted. No signs of split ends or regrowth in the parting so...he's had it cut recently, last three or four days at most.

.  
><em>This is hilarious Kurt, you're like the Sherlock Holmes of couture and coiffure<em>

_Shut it Blaine, dearest, I'm deducting here_

_Sorry sweetie. ..Do you need me there? Burt and I could..._

_No, I'm ok, I'm hoping to provoke some sort of reaction from him, and he's only likely to give me what I want if he thinks he can get away with it_

_Oh, so ...no witnesses then?_

_You're so smart Blaine_

_Har-dee-har-har_

_Now shush sweetie, I has to channel my inner ice queen now, so you go make sure Poppa Bear doesn't race to my rescue and spoil the plan, ok?_

_Ok Kurt, love you_

_.  
><em>

"Are you deaf boy? I said, where is this Hummel person? Go fetch him...please."

Kurt raised an eyebrow ever so slightly and stepped back to allow the men to make their way to the sofas.

"Would you like coffee gentlemen?" He asked politely, "Mr Smythe?"

Andrew Smythe narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Kurt Hummel, please, sit, I'll get the coffee poured, and then we can...chat."

"Where is my son?"

Kurt blinked a little at the venom the man was able to inject into those simple words.  
>"Oh, I had hoped we could do this in a pleasant, civilised manner, but...I guess not."<p>

Kurt moved over to the armchair he and Blaine loved to share and did not so much sit in it as curl down into it with an elegance that even Miss Meggle would have envied.

He smiled at his guests, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Gentlemen, please...sit."

Mr Smythe and his still unnamed lawyer sat.

The thug, also still unnamed, did not sit.

Andrew Smythe allowed his gaze to run across Kurt's form, lingering for a few seconds on his hair, his perfect skin, the way he crossed his legs before finally coming to rest on the expensive looking ring the boy was wearing on his left ring finger.

"Who are you?" He asked at last, "Who do you work for? What right did you have to interfere with my son?"

Smythe stared at Kurt for several seconds and then obviously made up his mind.

"You won't get anything you know." He said finally. "My son controls nothing until he reaches the age of twenty five. Assuming he doesn't die of AIDS or something before then. I don't know how much you've already taken from him, but that is all you are ever going to get. I suggest you leave now, and I won't be forced to report you to the authorities."

Kurt blinked at that and sat back a little.

"Excuse me?" He finally asked, his voice like ice. "I'm not quite sure what you are implying."

"I suppose you hooked up with him while he was still with that whore in France." Mr Smythe continued, "You saw your chance, and you milked it for all he was worth. Well, that ends now. But I'm a reasonable man. Ten thousand dollars."

Kurt raised his brow in an elegant query.

"Ten thousand dollars. In cash. Right now, you leave, I take my son. You go back to whatever diseased cess pit you crawled out from and find another confused and misguided child to suck your lifestyle from."

Kurt's eyes narrowed a little but he still remained silent.

"I'll even pay the bill on this suite. "Smythe smiled coldly, "So you don't have that hanging over you. A nice clean break."

Smythe glanced briefly at his...bodyguard?

"Or, you could of course, choose to try to thwart me. I would advise against it. I can be most thorough when I feel the need to 'clean house'. My family name is very, important, to me, I intend to keep what is mine, mine."

Kurt decided that it would be most annoying if he pretended that he had simply not heard the threat, or the offer.

"Why exactly did you allow your son to travel from a foreign country into a city under threat of terrorist action Mr Smythe? You could have changed his flight to almost any other airport. Why did you let him take the risk of entering New York?"

"Why should I justify my actions to a fag whore that has been encouraging my only son to risk god knows what diseases every time he screws your scrawny butt?"

Kurt smiled ever so faintly and blinked coquettishly at the angry man.

"Humour me?"

"I was assured by the authorities I spoke to that it was safe to travel. I will be disciplining the staff member I entrusted with the job of meeting the plane in due course."

"Do you even know his name?"Kurt asked with a voice as cold as an Antarctic winter.

"My secretary can..."

"I meant your son, Mr Smythe, do even know his name? You haven't used it once yet. Not once. I've been counting you see."

"Sebastian is mine and you cannot..."

"Oh well done. You do know it. Sebastian was quite ill for a while there last night. Bio-terrorism and all. JFK was a bit of a cess pit last night Mr Smythe. There was a nasty disease you see."

"Was...Sebastian, was he..."  
>Andrew Smythe pressed his hand to his chest, as if clutching a rosary or trying to stop his heart from pounding.<p>

"He's alive Mr Smythe, but it would be highly inadvisable to move him. I've been told he needs to rest and recover before we even think of letting him go."

"We...?"

"The medical people I hired to care for him."

"Hired...? Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Kurt Hummel."

"Twenty thousand, but that is my last offer."

"You still haven't asked how he is Mr Smythe."

"You said he was..."

"No, now I am talking about the poor man you sent to fetch your son. He died Mr Smythe. He died alone and terrified and in terrible pain."

Smythe clutched his rosary again.

"Who are you?"

"I thought you had decided I was some sort of hooker?" Kurt said, smiling sweetly at the man. "I'll admit, I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered. I mean, the morality is decidedly dodgy, but you thinking that I could seduce a whole series of rich men...it's a little flattering I suppose."

Smythe was staring at the boy now, trying to recalculate his position.

"I'm bored with you now Mr Smythe." Kurt drawled lazily, "I was going to get some of my friends and family to come join us in a little chat, but frankly, I don't want to pollute their ears with the sound of your voice."

"Now you listen to me you little..."

Smythe rose to his feet and advanced on Kurt.  
>His bodyguard moved fast too and as Smythe lashed out with a back hand, his ring catching the young boy across the cheek and the blow sending him tumbling out of the chair, he caught Smythe's arms before he could follow up on the assault.<p>

"Stop!" Smythe's lawyer hissed.

Smythe was clutching at his hidden medallion like he was praying.

"We are leaving now Mr Hummel, "He spat, "But I would suggest you find yourself a good lawyer..."

"Oh, I have one already, "Kurt smiled, a small trickle of blood running from the cut under his left eye. "Have you heard of Barton, Taylor, Lyon and Goodfellow? The current managing partner, Sir John Lyon, is a friend of mine."

Smythe sneered. "I'd heard rumours about those English queers."

"Believe what you like Mr Smythe, your stupidity and ignorance is now moving beyond boring to me. I'm looking forward to making sure that the next time I see you will be the only time I ever need to see you again. You aren't even worth the effort it would take me to spit on you."

Kurt smiled at the man again, having noted how it seemed to infuriate him.

Smythe seemed about to launch himself physically at the slender teen, but he clutched at whatever symbol he wore under his shirt and restrained himself with effort.

Finally he glared at Kurt.

"Go then, go screw my son. Go kill him with whatever pox ridden plague you have in you. Screw him till you both bleed and then die, both of you, and go to hell!"

The three men stormed out of the door at that last statement.  
>Mr Smythe turned as if to utter one last piece of vitriol.<p>

Kurt smiled at him sweetly again.

"I don't believe in hell Mr Smythe, "He said calmly, "But if it is real...you go first."

Kurt shut the door in their faces.

.

Well, that went ...well, he thought to the coffee machine.  
>The machine beeped supportively and made him a non-fat mocha.<p>

.

"Oh, sweetie!" Kurt smiled at it, "You know my coffee order?".


	65. You Always Hurt The One You Love

**Hello again. Sorry for the flood of updates – but I'm going to try to get as much out as I can before the bunnies decide to go on hiatus again (darn that Glee program for putting the idea in their tiny furry heads)**

**Ok, this chapter might need some serious warnings.**

**There will be swearing (yes...THAT word), violence, lots of severely adult themes, more violence, sex, extremely out of character behaviour and some very, very bad things happening.**

**It does NOT end in a cliff hanger, although it doesn't explain much at the end. I'm hoping the damn bunnies know what they are doing because I'm getting lost here myself, Lord alone knows how anyone else is coping.**

**If you are afraid of triggering bad memories or feelings (esp. around the areas of self harm or sexual assault) maybe wait till the next chapter, skip this one and read the "précis" of the previous events I'm going to try to make sure I squeeze into it.  
>(The irony is, of course, that I'm one of the people who need a warning like this, but all this stuff is bubbling up inside MY head in the first place. Sigh, some days you just can't take a trick, can you?)<strong>

**That said – I still believe quite firmly that I'm still in T rated territory, there's not a lot that's explicit, or wouldn't be shown on TV (but think Dexter or Law and Order: SVU rather than Glee)**

**Reviews are asked for blatantly, partly because they make me feel good, but in this instance, I might need the reassurance that I haven't totally screwed the story up. I'm not sure where this chapter came from, but I think I can see how it fits in with my hazy vision of what is to come, and it is needed.**

**Long, detailed reviews would be really helpful for my own mental health.**

_**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Glee, and after this, I doubt they'd ever let me.**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Carole had comforted him after his run in with Sebastian's father, and her magic had healed the cut on his cheek caused when the man had struck him.

.  
><em>If only the other injuries that man had inflicted on others could be so quickly healed<em>

_I know Kurt, I wish that too_

_Sorry I got you and dad all wound up about the meeting and then just sent him away before you could get here_

_It's ok Kurt, your dad and the President are still talking things over with the Majority and Minority leaders from the hill anyway_

_Oh Sweet Lady Gaga! Please tell me dad isn't 'letting them know what the ordinary guy thinks'_

_He did that about fifteen minutes ago_

_Oh no, we'll have to emigrate. Is your Castle in Ireland aired out and stocked Blaine? _

_Our castle sweetie, it's ours, remember, everything I have is yours too, especially my hearts_

_You are such a sap Blaine_

_I can feel your tears Kurt, don't try to pretend to be offended_

_Speaking of offended, I'm serious about the possible need to escape the country. How did the leaders of the Congress and the Senate take being lectured by a mechanic from Lima, Ohio?_

_I think they liked it actually Kurt, some of them were taking notes_

_Was he at least polite? Calm? Did he change colour at any stage?_

_He did go a little red when one of the Congresswomen from the Tea-Party made a comment about..._

_I can guess Blaine. You're sure he's not under arrest?_

_I think they have been talking to him about actually running for office_

_What? Which side wants to recruit him?_

_So far as I can tell, both of them. The Republican's love his attitude to small business and government non-interference and his emphasis on community generated solutions and the Democrats are in awe of his social justice agenda and his grasp of the importance of education and environmentalism_

_You're about to make a joke aren't you Blaine, I can feel a whole week's worth of giggles building up inside you_

_I was just going to point out that even though you've said you don't believe in it, I think your dad is totally Bi...partisan!_

_That's it Anderson, I'm sorry, but I just can't love you anymore, I'm going to have to find a new hobbit to educate in the ways of civilized man_

_I'm so sorry oh my wise and powerful Elf Lord, how can I make you open your heart to me again?_

_I can think of a few ways...IMAGE_

_Kurt! I...we... we've never done... we've never gone that far when ...is that even possible?_

_Well, I'm pretty flexible Blaine, and you have that whole Timelord respiratory bypass thing..._

_I'll just go tell the President to hurry it up a little, ok Kurt?_

_Blaine, oh my god, you're half serious! Just stay cool loverboy, ok? I'll be here when you get back_

_Ok, I'll hold you to that Kurt_

_I certainly hope so_

_..._

_What? Blaine...where are you?_

_...wait..._

_You made a joke Blaine, why can't I?_

_I had to find somewhere to sit Kurt, I had a...problem_

_Oh?...Oh!_

_Yeah, one of the interns noticed it too, I think she nearly fainted with shock_

_Sorry honey_

_Anyway, when Burt finishes rewriting the constitution, President Obama and some of the Leaders want to visit Sebastian and thank him for basically saving the planet, do you think he'll be up to it?_

_Possibly, I'll go find Dr Lopez and Jeff, they're in charge of him_

_Ok Kurt, I'll see you...I'd love to say soon but..._

_I get it honey_

_You will_

.

Blaine's mental voice faded as Kurt washed up his cup and checked his hair in the reflection in the tiles on the splashback above the sink.

A few minutes later he headed down the corridor to the elevators on his way to the room they had transformed into a sickbay for Sebastian.

He didn't notice what he had left behind on the bench next to the sink.

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Kurt, come in." Dr Lopez said quietly, "Sebastian is sleeping at the moment. He's had another one of those dreams. Jeff was here trying to keep him from harming himself. He's just gone to shower, it proved quite a workout for him, mentally I mean. Dave is watching over him."

"Thanks Dr Lopez. I'll be quiet, I promise."

"I know you will Kurt, "Theresa Lopez smiled at the boy, "I'm going to take this chance to grab some lunch with Santana and Brittany. If anything happens...well, I think Dave should be able to handle it, but we'll be on the terrace downstairs, ok?"

"We'll call you if there's a problem."

She kissed his pale cheek and hurried off to change for her lunch with her daughter.

Kurt slipped into the bedroom and smiled as he saw the large figure of Dave Karofsky sitting quietly in the chair next to Sebastian's bed, reading a book.  
>Dave looked up as he entered and smiled.<br>Kurt silently pointed to the book and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Charlotte's Web, "Dave murmured softly, "I've never actually read it. Elliot lent it to me. It's a First Edition. That kid is scary sometimes."

Kurt smiled and walked a little closer.

"How deeply asleep is he?" Kurt asked, "Should we..."

"He's out like a light, "Dave answered, "This is his pattern. He'll be almost impossible to wake for the next thirty minutes or so, then he might rouse and be able to chat for a few more minutes, then he'll get tired and drowsy again, and then he either falls asleep normally or has another nightmare and the cycle resets. Jeff and Ms Pillsbury are working on him together, but they're only making slow progress. It took years to make him such a mess, and it's only the work his mother must have put into him when he moved to France that has kept the poor guy going."

Dave's eyes showed the signs of recent tears, He noticed Kurt eyeing his reddened eyes and smiled faintly.

"I got to a sad part in the book." He said, lifting the novel slightly.

"Yeah, you keep telling everyone that. Ya bighearted lug." Kurt smiled at Dave with eyes full of affection before turning to the sleeping figure in the bed.

"He looks so young when he's asleep." Kurt murmured, stepping a little closer. "So...pale."

Dave sighed and nodded in agreement.

"He's certainly got a head of hair on him, "Kurt remarked, "I'll give him that."

"You said he looked like a meerkat at the airport last night." Dave grunted, marking his place in the book with one of his feathers and putting it down carefully on the bedside table.

"Well...he was hitting on my friends." Kurt said defensively, "But now I can see him better...he's got really good bone structure."

"Not an overweight ham hock then?" Dave said softly.

"I should never have tried to hurt you like that Dave." Kurt said, his hand still softly stroking Sebastian's hair as he lay asleep. "I certainly couldn't make the same comment now."

"Because you know me now?"

"Because it's even less true now than it was then." Kurt smiled at him, "Dave Karofsky is a hunk now!"

Dave blushed and laughed self-consciously.

"So many sexy men in this room, "Kurt murmured.

Dave frowned a little.

"Sexy? I thought I wasn't your type Mr Hummel?" He teased.

"You are anyone's type Dave, "Kurt murmured, "And as for this one..."

Kurt was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand still tangled in the soft silky hair that lay spread across Sebastian's pillow.

"...he's sexy too." Kurt's fingers were barely brushing over the contours of the sleeping boy's face. "These cheekbones...those lips, so soft...so full...his teeth were pretty good too I recall...I wonder what it would feel like to have him nibbling on my..."

"Kurt? Are you ok?" Dave was a little confused, "You...you don't sound like yourself. Your voice is...it's getting deeper."

"Mmm...deep...deep in him...look at this chest...he's no muscle stud like you, but he's all toned and..."

A look of alarm flashed across Kurt's face, momentarily displacing the glazed eyes and lascivious smirk he had been showing only moments earlier.

"Dave...something is wrong."He whispered, "I can't...I can't stop touching him. Dave...I'm not in control...my body...my...my thoughts...Dave...get me away from him, please."

Kurt's hand began to trace a path down the body of the sleeping boy, while his other hand began to unbuckle his belt.

"Dave! I can't...I can't stop it...What's happening?"

.  
><em>Snuffy! Snuffy! Something is wrong with Kurt! Get here now! Call someone! Dr Lopez, Carole, Coach Sylvester, even the goddamned cat! He's freaking out. Something is terribly, terribly wrong.<em>

_What's happening? I'm on my way, I was in the conference room, Carole and Rachel are following me while Puck and Lauren are running to fetch Lord T and Sue._

_He's...he basically trying to molest Sebastian, or even rape him...he's fighting it so hard, but he's losing ground. I've got to go help Kurt get himself away from Sebastian_

_Distract him!_

_What? How? He's fighting it, but all he can think about is sex and trying to...to..._

_Tell him to call for Blaine, and in the meantime, distract him with sex!_

_What?_

_He likes you, we both know that, use it. Let him paw you instead of an unconscious abuse victim, it's really simple Bird!_

_But...but you..._

_It's not cheating if I 'm telling you to do it Dave. I don't mean have sex with him anyway, just...distract him, show him your muscles_

_What? Would that even..._

_It works for me, I'm telling Carole to contact Burt and get both of them to you asap, ok?_

_I'm scared Jeff, Kurt is basically wrestling with himself at the moment, I think the effort is making his nosebleed_

_I'll be there in three minutes, hold on!_

.

Kurt was now forcing the hand he had managed to control to clutch onto the luggage rack which was placed across the end of the bed.  
>The other hand was busily trying to undo Sebastian's pyjama bottom.<br>The sheets had been stripped away a few seconds earlier, and the pyjama top had been pushed up to reveal a pale but well toned chest.

With an effort of will, just as his hand began to slip underneath the cotton shorts Sebastian was wearing, Kurt threw himself across the room and landed at Dave's feet.

"Dave...I can't...I can't find Blaine...I can't hear him...I...help me... get me out."

Kurt was clutching onto Dave's legs, fighting to keep hold of them, as something inside him was trying to force him to turn around and leap back onto the helpless form lying in the bed.

Dr Lopez and Santana raced into the room, closely followed by Brittany.

Brittany stared at Kurt as the boy clung to Dave's body, muttering barely coherent words into his chest.

"Burning...so hot...need ...need to feel...need Sebastian...No! No! ...need Blaine...Dave...need Dave...Dave...help me..."

"Get them out of here! Now!" Dr Lopez said vehemently.

Santana reached out with her hair and wrapped the two men up as she ran back out into the corridor.

"I'll take them to Kurt's room!" She shouted as they left.

Brittany was staring into space, confused and frightened.  
>"Bad blood... Sad Blood... Mad blood... Too much blood... The blood...The Queen of Love knows...Her blood is the sacrifice... She who lost the song knows...Her blood will flow for the one not of her blood...At her touch, love will bloom from violence and blood. "<p>

Dr Lopez snatched the sharpie off the table beside the bed and wrote down the prophecy on the nearest available surface.

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Jeff, Carole and Rachel ignored the elevator.

Instead, Jeff burst through the door to the stairwell and waited for Rachel and Carole to catch up.  
>Then he wrapped his arms around both of them, spread wings of pure light and jumped over the balustrade.<p>

He heard Dave's panicked update as they were falling and with a flick of one wing, changed the direction of their fall and landed beside the door to the level of the private landing.

"Damn, it's locked from this side." He swore.

"My child is in danger in there, "Carole said in a strangely formal way, "I need to get to him."

She touched her hand to the lock and the electronics beeped once as the door opened.

"You can talk to machines too?" Jeff asked breathlessly as they hurried into the corridor.

"If my children or my husband need me, I can do anything I damn well have to." Carole said.

They made it to the door of the apartment just as Santana rounded the corner from the elevator with her struggling burden.

Once inside she released the two boys carefully.

Carole was coughing from the running.

"I'll get you some water." Rachel murmured.

.

Dave was covered in scratches and bite marks, and there wasn't much left of his clothes.  
>Kurt too was almost naked.<p>

Kurt's arms kept moving away from the man he was clinging to, as he would try to turn and run back to Sebastian's room, only to be forced by Kurt's stubborn will into clinging once more to Dave's body instead.

Both boys were flushed and breathing rapidly and the evidence of their arousal was...

"Well...damn." Santana muttered as she tried not to look. "That's three of them!"

"Jeff!" Dave panted, "Help me get him into the bedroom."

"What?" Rachel gasped.

Dave grimaced and sent a burst of thought to his boyfriend.

"Of course, that might help." Jeff nodded.

He turned to the others to explain.

"The familiar reminders of Blaine might help bolster Kurt's will to fight whatever this is. He needs all the help he can get."

"So do it!" Carole snapped.

Jeff approached the two boys carefully.

"Kurt, I'm here to help you...how can I help you?"

Kurt turned to him, his eyes flashing between their usual glasz and a strange smoky shadow.

"Jeff...I need to get back to Sebastian...I need to...no, don't let me go back there...help me...so hot...Jeff...you're so sexy...have I told you that? Your skin is so tan and your sexy brown eyes and...and...are you blond all over Jeff...can I see?... can I touch you there...no...you're Dave's boyfriend...Dave is so lucky...I love Dave...he's got muscles...and...hair... and...I need to get back to...to...Blaine! ... I need Blaine...I can't hear him Jeff...I can't find him...he's not there anymore...I can't...I...help..."

His voice was getting weaker as he continued to struggle.

"Thank god he hasn't started trying to change shape to get free of them." Rachel muttered.

"No!" Santana hissed, "Shut up!"

"I tried already", Kurt was saying, "I can't...can't find them...the shapes are all gone...I can't touch them...they're too far away..."

Dave and Jeff picked him up bodily and carried him into the bedroom.

.

The trees were dying.

Brown, dry leaves and sharp, splintered branches lay scattered across the floor, while the smell of rotting fruit made all of them gag.

Only a few pale green leaves still clung to the Peach tree over the bed.

Burt and Blaine were suddenly there.

"Kurt!" Blaine shouted as he threw himself at his boyfriend.

Dave and Jeff stumbled back, sinking to the floor holding each other.

"Blaine!" Kurt was muttering, "Need to go...no...need you...you...want you..."

He began rutting against Blaine's body.

"We should...we should give them some privacy..." Rachel whispered.

"No! No!" Kurt screamed.

He was shaking and shuddering with what had to be a climax, but instead of calming him down it seemed to make him even more conflicted.

Blaine was clinging to him, trying to make eye contact.

"Kurt. Kurt! I know our powers are gone. But I'm still a Timelord. I can still feel my hearts beating. I can still think like a Timelord."

Kurt was trying to thrust his hands behind his back and seemed to be trying to throw himself away from Blaine the same way he had tried to protect Sebastian.

"Kurt, I think I know what's going on. You need to let it happen Kurt. Trust me, I'm still a Timelord, do you understand? That hasn't faded yet. You need to let it go Kurt. Let it go, give in to it. Let this run its course, then it will let you go."

Blaine turned to the others.  
>"Burt, get us to the roof garden, now."<p>

He grabbed hold of Kurt as the slender boy tried to run from him.

Kurt fell and one of the fallen branches pierced his leg.

Burt did as he was asked.

A few seconds later, he returned, and grabbed the rest of them as they stood in shock, transporting them to the roof also.

.

Blaine was still talking to Kurt, but no one could hear what he was saying.

Kurt nodded at last, and closed his eyes.

Seconds later, his hands were around Blaine's throat as he began to squeeze the air from his boyfriend's body.

Dave and Jeff moved to help, but Burt stopped them.

"Blaine said to trust him. He said to not interfere. "

Burt was torn.

"He said to trust him, but there was something... he didn't seem right somehow."

"Not Blaine too?" Santana swore.

"No, not like Kurt." Burt said softly, "It was as if he was trying to convince me, not just saying what he believed."

Blaine hissed something to Kurt, which made the taller boy bite his lip and nod...sadly.

Kurt shifted his grip and snapped Blaine's neck.  
>Then he turned, grabbed the branch that was still sticking into his leg and pulled it free, catching the falling Blaine in the chest with the sharp ends as he did so.<br>Then Kurt stabbed himself in the heart.

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt sat, wrapped in a hastily altered tablecloth from the conference room and wept.

He had, of course, been reborn after his dramatic suicide.

Blaine was still dead.

"He lied to me." Kurt said, "He lied to me. He said he was still a Timelord, but he lied. He lied to save me. He hasn't regenerated. I've killed him. I've killed my love."

"Kurt...I..." Burt began.

"Don't you dare try to comfort me!" Kurt screamed at his father, "I don't deserve to be comforted. I deserve to die. But I'm a freak, and I can't die. So how do you like them apples dad?"

Burt looked helplessly at his suffering child and tried not to cry.

.

We have a way." Dr Lopez said softly, forcing Kurt to listen. "Brittany spoke another prophecy."

"Did you get it written down in time?" Quinn asked as she and Nick joined the others on the terrace.

The travellers from Lima had heard what had happened, but most of them had allowed the rooftop to remain a private place for the core of the group to mourn.

Finn stood, holding a weeping Rachel, while Santana, Brittany, Sam and Mercedes had joined Lauren in trying to comfort an inconsolable Puck.

Lord Tubbington, Pang and Sue were arguing over what had caused it all.  
>Carole hugged Burt while the Warblers and the others sat around in stunned shock.<p>

"I just feel...I feel like someone just ripped my heart out of my chest." Jon muttered sadly.

Every Godmother in earshot turned to him.

"What did you say?" John Anderson asked.

Jon paled.  
>"I'm sorry, I wasn't being..."<p>

"Heart ripped out." Quinn said in shock. "The fallback position... We forgot the fallback."

"But how?" Lord Tubbington asked, "How did they get at Master Kurt like that?"

"Maybe the prophecy has a clue?" Trent said softly.

"You did write it down Dr Lopez? Didn't you?" Nick asked.

"In a manner of speaking, "She said, "Burt, you'll need to go fetch Sebastian here, he's awake, and he knows he'll be needed."

Burt looked at his weeping son again and blinked out, returning a few seconds later with a now clothed Sebastian.

"I took the liberty of a quick explanation to Sebastian, "Dr Lopez said, "I thought he deserved to know why his crazy doctor was...well... show the people Sebastian."

The tall, but slender youth unbuttoned his shirt and showed them the prophecy.

"Sorry, "Dr Lopez said, "I didn't have a chance to find any paper to make copies."

"Another freaking prophecy." Puck swore, "I'm so sick of those damn things. "

They read the words.

.

**Bad blood, Sad Blood, Mad blood.  
>Too much blood.<br>The blood.  
>The Queen of Love knows.<br>Her blood is the sacrifice.  
>She who lost the song knows.<br>Her blood will flow for the one not of her blood.  
>At her touch, love will bloom from violence and blood.<strong>

.

"How in the hell is that supposed to help anyone?" Burt shouted.

"We just need to work it out." Carole said softly.

"Another Queen?" Elaine said, "One of you? Or the missing one?"

"I don't think it's me or Sue, "Quinn said softly, "But it might be. Or it could be the Queen to Come, or...it could be Prom Queen Kurt. We won't know till we work it out."

Everyone seemed disheartened by this.

"It's hopeless, "Kurt said miserably, "Blaine is dead, the magic is gone, even my ring is gone. It was gone before any of this happened. I lost it when my love failed me. I noticed it missing while I was trying to rape Dave."

Lord Tubbington and the other senior Godmothers snapped to stare at him at that.

"Impossible." The cat said, "And I mean it this time. Nothing can remove a ring before the death of the wielders."

"So there have never been any cases of ringed pairs abandoning each other or..."Wes asked in a broken voice.

"There have been a few." Sue said, "Over the millennia. But in every case it was finally determined that they had been the victims of some seriously powerful black magic."

"The blood curse." Lord Tubbington gasped, "But...how?"

"Bloodcurse?" Burt rumbled, "Seems a bit coincidental that there's something called a bloodcurse flying around when we have a prophecy all about blood, doesn't it."

"But to perform the curse they would need access to the blood of both of the chosen pairing." Lord Tubbington said, "And it would need to be performed before the sun set after the samples were taken."

"We all did a bit of bleeding last night." Tina said with her voice still choked with sorrow, "And it's only just gone three o'clock in the afternoon."

"Kurt didn't bleed last night", Dave said, "Bruises yes, but no wounds, I'd know."

"So they must have found it somewhere else." Wes said grimly.

Carole gasped.

"Mr Smythe, Sebastian...your father was here this morning. We, that is, Kurt told him that you were no longer his to treat like dirt, and that you were protected now. He...he struck him. Andrew Smythe struck Kurt across the face. We thought it was wonderful, because we caught it all on camera. It's the best possible evidence we could have to legally protect Sebastian from him."

"Did the wound bleed?" Lord Tubbington asked sharply.

"Just a little." Carole replied, "His ring caught Kurt across the..."

She fell silent.

"It was a trap all along." Sebastian whispered, "I was bait. You should get me out of here in case I cause more problems."

He was crying.

"No!" Kurt said loudly, rising to his feet, "You weren't to blame. You weren't to know. I can't let his death be in vain...I... you're safe Sebastian. Safe and welcome...and...I..."

Kurt dissolved into sobs again and sank down beside Blaine's still form once more.

"Hey, "David said, "Blaine still has his ring, but Kurt's is missing."

"I said that." Kurt said through his sobs.

"Where did it go?" Quinn asked.

"It's the first part of the curse." Lord Tubbington said, "The dark magic waits for the perfect opportunity to just, let the ring slip from its owner's mind. At the same time, it weakens the bond in one specific way. It allows the wearer to remove the ring. Once the ring is off, they usually try to steal it so that the bond can't be repaired. Now, no normal Godmother would ever want to take their ring off, but the first part of the curse just slips it into their mind when the chance arises. Coming home from the theatre and changing for bed, doing the washing up, re-potting a begonia... Once the ring is off, the power of the curse drives the victim to commit some sort of horrible crime of violence against their partner...which..."

"But Kurt was trying to attack me" Sebastian said.

"Dark emotions twist magic, you said that once, "Carole said, "Sebastian's dad delivered the curse to Kurt, but his...his..."

"It's ok Mrs Hummel, I know my dad hates me, "Sebastian said sadly, "Hey, look! His hatred finally had a silver lining. He botched the job because he couldn't keep it in his pants...so to speak."

"So they try to hurt their partner? "Tina asked, "But surely, if the love is strong enough, they can come back from that. So long as one of them doesn't...oh..."

"Usually the one who commits the evil act is then driven to kill themselves. The curse works upon their own natural self hatred, despair and remorse to..."

"But they don't know that Kurt is the Phoenix!" Mike said, "So after he was compelled to kill himself he...came back."

"But Blaine didn't!" Kurt spat.

"Are we sure he's actually..." Lauren said tentatively.

"He's not breathing!" Kurt shouted, "His hearts stopped beating after I snapped his neck! I felt them stop. I killed him Lauren and..."

"Hearts?" Jeff said slowly, "He still had two hearts?"

"What difference does that make?" Kurt cried.

"He could still regenerate."

"Well look closer Blondie, cause I can't see any flashes or sparkles, can you?"

Kurt's eyes were heartbroken and his tears flowed freely.

"Maybe you need to put the ring on again?" Rachel said in a voice laden with tears.

"It's lost, forever." Kurt screamed.

"No, it's here." She said quietly.

She held it up to him, the three sapphires glinting in the sunlight.

"What? Where?" The others around her babbled.

"It was beside the sink, where you washed up your coffee mug." Rachel said, "I saw it and I just knew...I had to take it and...I don't know why."

"Put the ring on Kurt, "Carole urged him, "Please."

Kurt shook his head.  
>"No...it's too late. I don't..."<p>

"Put the ring on!" Burt said firmly. "Why are you hesitating?"

"No. I can't Dad...I can't bear to lose him again. Something else will happen. Even if he comes back again he just...I can't cope with him dying over and over and..."

Rachel pulled free of Finn's embrace, walked over to where Kurt was sobbing and babbling and thrust the ring under his nose.

"Put the ring on Kurt. You need Blaine. He needs you. "

Kurt pushed her away and she fell onto the unburnt end of the branch Kurt had used to...

Finn and Carole both moved towards her as she shrieked slightly, the branches sharp end piercing the flesh of her hand as she tried to stop her fall.

She did, however, refuse to let go of the ring.

Rachel turned to where Kurt knelt, rocking himself backwards and forwards over his dead boyfriend.

She thrust the bloody ring back under his nose.

"Kurt. Take the goddamned ring, save your boyfriend."

"But he's better off. I can't bear to lose him again and again and..."

Rachel slapped him.  
>Hard.<p>

"Put the damned ring on, stop thinking with your fear and your guilt. Think with your heart Kurt. You love each other. You need to stop letting the shadows control you. I know they must still be in there somewhere, because the Kurt I know and love isn't a selfish coward. He doesn't speak like this. So harden the fuck up and bring your boyfriend... bring your husband... back to life so he can go on loving you with every single cell of his being. Got it?""

Kurt stared at her, a trickle of blood running down his face from where his own ring, held in Rachel's iron grip had caught his cheek.  
>Ironically, the same place Andrew Smythe's ring had caught him.<p>

He stared into her eyes as he reached out with wavering hands.

Rachel thrust the ring onto the correct finger.

Silver sparks flew.

.

Blaine's golden eyes opened and stared lovingly at their soulmate's.  
>"Kurt, my love... I hate to use a really clichéd joke here but...you're kind of kneeling on my chest."<p> 


	66. Alien Killer-Zombie-Robot-Kittens

**Well, I'm still receiving bunny messages it seems, and thank goodness they've stopped with the angsty angst angst (for the time being). This one is a bit on the talky side, and it sort of ends abruptly, not in a cliff-hanger (really) but the reason is because there's a whole other bit that follows on but I simply cannot get my head around the editing process. **

**Still, I got this bit done and I thought I might as well get it out to you and deal with the rest of the doodah at a later date.  
>This chapter seems to involve a whole set of people that I haven't concentrated on before, boy my bunnies take me by surprise sometimes.<strong>

**Reviews would be wonderful, the last chapter was a bit rough on me, and the reviews and messages that people sent were really helpful and reassuring. **

**Currently my home city / state are under water again (Brisbane), and we're so totally sick of it that it's just not funny anymore. My place is fine, I even still have power, but I'm feeling for a whole lot of other people at the moment.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or any cartoon series, or a video game patent. Sigh.**__  
>.<em>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

It had been a sombre evening, even after the news of Blaine's recovery had passed around the group from Lima.

Those who hadn't been present for the actual events were directed to Lord Tubbington, who had performed what Wes had termed 'his own miracle' by summarising the day in only five sentences.

1. In defeating the plans at the Statue of Liberty and JFK Airport, Kurt and Blaine had activated the enemy's fall back strategy.  
>2. Using a powerful black magical curse, Blaine and Kurt's ring bond had been removed, leaving Kurt exposed and defenceless against the powerful, mind-controlling spell.<br>3. The inadvertent twisting of the curse by Sebastian's father's hatred of his son, combined with Kurt's remarkable ability to at least partially resist the control had meant that Blaine had had time to work out how to defeat the magic.  
>4. Kurt had been compelled to kill himself after murdering his own boyfriend, but the enemy hadn't reckoned with the intrinsic nature of the Phoenix and a Timelord, a nature that was not reliant on the magic of their rings.<br>5. The rings had been restored, and both Kurt and Blaine were now free from any malign influences and were now warned and warded against them.

Rachel's role in the events, and the fact that a new prophecy had been uttered by Brittany, took a little longer to circulate among the group.  
>Everyone had spent the night either comforting each other by talking in small groups, or reinforcing their own bonds of love.<p>

Emma Pillsbury was glad the sun had finally risen on a fresh day.  
>The oppressive summer heat seemed to have finally lifted too.<p>

Emma sat, sipping her Irish Breakfast tea while she watched the various groups that made up the travellers from Lima circulate around the room.

She was tired this morning, having been up for much of the previous night, visiting the main participants in the events of the last few days and doing her best to counsel them.

When she had finally staggered back to the room she shared with Will Schuester, she was tired, but smiling.  
>He had run her a warm bath, something she had never been able to enjoy before the magic of their rings had finally helped her tame her OCD.<br>He had taken the basket of fruit given to her by Kurt and Blaine, which she had helped them pick from their newly regenerated fruit trees.

She had even made a joke.  
>"Love is sweet!" Will said softly, as she shared one of the ripe peaches with him.<p>

"Life is peachy." She had replied.

It had been surprising to see how little help Kurt had actually needed from her. The young man had changed from the prickly, defensive teen he had been during the time she had known him.

Now he exuded confidence and calm.

The dark shadows of guilt and self doubt had still been present in him when she had sat down on the sofa opposite the boys as they sat curled around each other in their customary armchair in their apartment.

Even the strongest person, the most self aware individual would struggle with the memories of what Kurt bore within him.

The curse had tried to make him rape, and possibly kill Sebastian.  
>Only Dave Karofsky had been able to help Kurt resist the magical instruction, by using Kurt's affection and sexual attraction for him to redirect Kurt's urges towards his bulky form.<p>

Dave had been covered in teeth marks, scratches and love bites of various sizes as Kurt had been unable to do more than slow down the desperate need the evil spell had driven him to.

When Jeff had finally been able to rejoin the pair, Kurt had started to attack him too.

Kurt had shown her only a small glimpse of his feelings about his actions, but Emma knew that he still felt disturbed and ashamed of them, even though everyone kept reminding him that he had not been in anyway responsible for anything he had done.

Blaine wasn't about to let Kurt keep too much inside him though.

Emma had acted as a catalyst for the two boys more than anything else, simply acting as a witness, and as a neutral third party while they discussed and explored their feelings about what had transpired.

In the end, Kurt had broken down again, while Blaine held him in his arms and simply breathed in his scent.

Emma had been impressed that Blaine seemed to know exactly what to do.  
>Allowing Kurt to grieve and vent was what was needed at that point, in the same way that letting a wound bleed for a short while made it less likely that the injury would become infected. The blood washed most of the germs and dirt out of the wound.<p>

Finally, Kurt and Blaine had switched positions and it was Kurt who held Blaine while the smaller boy wept.

Not once during the session had either boy allowed the other to get away with claiming too much of the blame, nor had they simply glossed over things that might have made most people uncomfortable.

Kurt had been most upset by the thought that his attraction for other men might be a sign that he was not devoted enough to Blaine.

Blaine had simply shaken his head and forced Kurt to experience the full rapport that their rings allowed.

Emma had watched while the boys whispered to each other, working through their issues almost as quickly as their thoughts could be formulated.

When they got stuck or needed her, they simply asked her questions, and through the magic of her own ring, she knew that she held the answers required inside.

While she was helping Kurt and Blaine, Will had been in the room shared by Jeff and Dave, who also needed someone to talk things through with.

Emma and Will were able to coordinate their therapy session using their own telepathy, and finally the breakthrough had been achieved when Kurt and Dave consented to reach out telepathically for each other again.

Both of them had been holding themselves apart in an attempt to avoid upsetting the other.

When all four of the boys had finally shared their feelings in the most direct manner possible, the problem seemed, if not solved completely, at least well on the way to a resolution.

That was last night.

Emma and Will had gone to sleep secure in the knowledge that both pairs of lovers would be fine to work any remaining issues out between them on their own.

In fact, Blaine had been teasing Kurt for the last ten minutes of their chat, and it had become fairly apparent to Emma that once she left them alone, the boys would be making sure that Kurt's sexual health was as robust and as free from problems as it had been before this trauma.

Emma sipped another mouthful of her tea and looked across the table to where Will sat, smiling at her.

They had chosen to sit on the terrace of the rooftop garden this morning, so they could enjoy the view over Central Park.  
>With a mental touch they both stood and carried their mugs over to the edge of the terrace, where Will stood close to his tiny, and beautiful, fiancée.<p>

The park was filled with flowers, huge blooms several feet across.  
>The waterfall which rose from the surface of the lake, defying gravity as it did so, to stream up and then across the sky above the grass, was sparkling and babbling as it arced over the heads of the people below who walked and stared at it as it made rainbows in all directions.<p>

Turning slightly to their left they both took another sip of tea as they looked out across the rest of Manhattan.

"It's beginning to change back." Will said.

"Pity, "Emma murmured, "It's so beautiful like this. I wonder when or if the change might become permanent. I think the world would fall in love with New York all over again if it did."

Will slipped his arm around her waist as they stood on the terrace, high in the branches of a gigantic, fifty seven storeys high, Mallorn tree and watched the golden-leaved, silver-barked forest that Manhattan had become overnight, slowly revert to more mundane concrete, glass and steel.

"I suspect that Kurt and Blaine will be making that happen soon." Will murmured, "Do you feel like going back to our room and...helping them a little?"

Emma put her cup onto the table and took his hand.

"I thought you'd never ask!" She smiled, dragging him towards the elevators.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I'm telling you Lauren, it was mortifying!"

The large girl nodded as Mercedes Jones continued the tale of her morning.

"I'm lying there, on a Hello Zombie-Kitty pillow case, so I knew it had to be Tina's bed, and I can hear my momma being hushed by daddy. Then I notice that Sam is not only resting on the same pillow, but he's only just beginning to wake up. I tell you, I thought he was a looker when he's all dolled up and working the threads, but the sight of his face all creased by the pillow, and with his hair all smooshed up and everywhere...then he opened his eyes and...oh Lauren, it was like looking into the sun. He just blinked a few times, and then he smiled, and when that boy smiles...well, you know you've been smiled at..."

"What did your mom say though?" Tina asked as she accepted a piece of toast from Mike's hand.

"Well, daddy was pointing out to her that not only were we fully clothed in the same jumpsuits we were wearing last night, apart from our boots anyway, but we weren't even under the covers, and Coach Bieste was waking up from where she had been lying about five feet from us, so it was obvious that we hadn't been 'messing around' like momma was working herself up towards."

"She's just being protective Mercedes." Rachel said, pouring Lauren another cup of hot chocolate.

"I know, but sometimes she doesn't give me any credit, and it hurts, you know?" Mercedes grumbled. "I told her when Sam brought me home from Prom and she started going on about letting strange boys drive me places without her knowing and... well, that time I just told her that I was not a child, but I was also aware that I wasn't ready to be a full grown-up either, and that if she was so unsure about how she had raised me then maybe she needed to go to some parenting classes."

"You didn't!" Tina shrieked quietly.

"I was mad too, "Mercedes said shaking her head. "I just told her that even though I sometimes argued with her, I knew she had my best interests at heart, and that I remembered everything she had taught me. I just pointed out that teaching me how to be a responsible person, and then never letting me make any responsible choices wasn't exactly a great way of teaching me how to be responsible."

"Was that why you got grounded for two weeks after Prom?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, but it was worth it." Mercedes said, "Me and daddy sat her down a few times during that period and we worked out a way to let her feel better about letting me actually live my life. Daddy actually got real mad at her one night and told her that if she was going to try to keep her daughter safe from everyone and everything, then maybe her daughter didn't need to go to school or college or leave the house ever again, because her momma would be living her life and making her decisions for her until she turned seventy."

"Was that why your dad had to skip his poker night for a month?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, "Mercedes said, "But it was worth it."

Everyone laughed.

"So get back to yesterday morning, "Rachel said, "What happened before the whole Kurt going crazy business happened? Did your mom lose it? Are you being taken home in a box and this is the last time we ever see you?"

Mercedes shook her head.  
>"Daddy pointed out that if we were mature enough to risk our lives fighting armed terrorists, then we were mature enough to be allowed to date. And then, the clincher happened, the thing momma couldn't argue with, although she did cry a little."<p>

"What? What was it?" Rachel asked. "I feel like we're terrible friends. I should have found time to talk to you and Sam last night, but I was...well, Finn had to carry me to my dads' room and we all just stayed there until this morning. Poor Finn was really upset, and Carole was busy comforting Burt, so I slept with Dad and Daddy just held Finn in his arms like a little baby all night."

"Tell us you have pictures, please." Puck whispered.

Lauren slapped him on the leg and smiled at Mercedes.  
>"Go on with your story Mercedes, I want to know what on earth could stop your momma in mid rant."<p>

"I have to thank you Rachel, you do good work." Mercedes said in a voice laden with emotion, and she held up her hand. "They were lying on the pillow between our faces. When momma saw them she just sniffed a few tears back and said 'Well, I guess I know my daughter is gonna be happy, protected and loved for the rest of her life at least' and then she hugged Sam and started talking about dates and caterers."

Mercedes' friends looked with shock at the gleaming silver ring on her left hand and then smiled.

"Venues?" Puck asked.

"For the wedding I guess." Mercedes laughed, "Although Sam and I know what getting one of these really means. I told her, me and Sam are not getting married for a while yet, not till we graduate, from college, and can afford a nice party. Besides, I refuse to have a wedding before my boy and his hobbit have theirs."

"Oh my goodness, this is so amazing!" Tina gushed, "Have you told Kurt yet though?"

"They were a little preoccupied yesterday," Mercedes drawled. "I was hoping I could catch my boy up on the news this morning I really need to know if he and Blaine are still ok after what happened. You know Kurt can get really down and start blaming himself for things. I have faith they'll be able to move past it all but..."

"No one has seen Kurt and Blaine this morning, but judging by the city-wide urban renewal they managed to come..."Puck drawled.

Lauren fixed him with a look.

Puck smiled at her.  
>"I was just going to say, judging by the trees and stuff...I think Kurt and Blaine have come through yesterday better than ever."<p>

Lauren stared into Puck's eyes for several seconds and then smiled at him and offered him her last donut.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"If you say sorry to me one more time, I'm going to smack you upside the head with this remote control."

"I'm..."

Jeff raised the remote and narrowed his eyes at Kurt.

"Snuffy, let Kurt apologise if he wants to. You know he's just going to keep thinking it for hours if you don't let him get it out of his system."

Jeff glared to the other sofa where Dave was sitting beside a smirking Blaine.  
>"I will throw this at you Bird."<p>

"But then you wouldn't be able to un-pause the show." Dave said calmly, "And it's getting to the good part. Velma and Fred have to unmask the amusement park owner as the Headless Ghost."

"Kurt could just ask it to start playing, "Jeff pointed out, "Power over machines, remember?"

"Actually, "Kurt said quietly, "You could ask Dave to do it Jeff, he's been using that remote for half an hour now, and he hasn't noticed that it doesn't have batteries in it. I was about to put new ones in when you and Dave arrived and I hadn't had a chance to say..."

"Oh, is this TV becoming sentient now? I do apologise to it if I was..."

"Not exactly, "Kurt said slowly, "I think... um... yeah... honey?"

He looked across to Blaine and allowed a plaintive look to flit across his face.

Blaine sighed and rolled his eyes in a very 'Kurt' gesture.

"Guys..."He began, "You know how Kurt and I can sort of...share powers sometimes."

Dave and Jeff nodded.

"...well... after what happened at the Statue, with Kurt pulling on the bond between him and Dave, and what happened yesterday with the whole...um..."

"Sexual molestation of Jeff's boyfriend?" Kurt said with more than a trace of bitter and dark humour.

"We've been through this Kurt, "Jeff said quietly, "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't as traumatic to either of us as you think it was and it hasn't affected any of us in any way. Plus, it was kind of hot to be perfectly honest. I'm not saying I have a kink for watching my Bird being totally kissed senseless, but...well...it was hot."

Everyone just looked at Jeff and blinked.

"Don't judge me."

All three of the others started laughing, and a few seconds later Jeff joined in.

"Besides, you molested me a bit too Kurt."

"Seriously though Jeff, "Blaine said, wiping a tear from his eye, "It has actually affected us."

"But I thought... we talked it through and..."

"I mean, Dave was actually using Kurt's power every time he changed the channel or the volume."

Jeff sat up in shock.  
>"What? How is that...are you sure?"<p>

Blaine nodded.  
>"Show him Kurt."<p>

Kurt stood up and moved a few steps clear of the sofas.  
>With a slight twitch of his eyelids and a small wriggle of his shoulders he...<p>

A silver white glow of energy crackled slightly as it covered his body.

Jeff and Dave stared.

"I've developed some of your powers Dave." Blaine said quietly, "My wings are black with silver speckles on them, like stars in the night sky. Good news is, I don't have to Dragon up every time I need to fly now!"

"What about Jeff?" Dave finally asked.

"Hey Jeff, catch!" Blaine said, snatching Dave's phone from the table in front of them and hurling it at Jeff's face.

Jeff's hand moved so fast it was a blur, and his grip was...

"Oh, oops." Jeff said, looking at the crushed remains in his hand.

"Kurt can fix it, "Blaine said softly, "And you do get used to controlling the strength after a while."

Jeff handed the parts over to Kurt who took them and began to whisper soothingly to them.

"Ok, so we're now turning into a whole new sort of super powered gay salad. I don't think I can handle that right at this minute, so, since we're not going out to lunch together for another two hours...Let's get back to the shows." Jeff said, "These classic cartoons are the best!"

"What's next on the stream?" Dave asked Jeff who had picked up the program guide.

"My all time favourite! "Jeff exclaimed, "Captain Planet!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Noah Puckerman had just screwed it all up big time.

After a morning where he had managed to put his foot in his mouth the fewest number of times he could remember in...like...forever, he had blown it all.

He couldn't even remember the remark he had made about Trent and Flint...something about red hot pokers he thought.  
>Lauren had heard it, however, and the look of silent disappointment on her face had almost broken him.<p>

She and Mercedes had stormed off to 'get their fashion on' for some shindig that most of the group were meant to be going to tonight.

Puck wasn't sure if he was invited anymore.  
>He wasn't sure he even had a girlfriend anymore.<p>

He sat, dejectedly playing a solo game of some sort on the big screen.  
>He wasn't really sure what game it was to be honest.<br>There were guns and aliens and robots and explosions and...  
>He'd been killed eleven times in a row now, and still hadn't got past the first checkpoint.<p>

"Son, do you mind if I have a private word with you?"

Noah Puckerman looked up from his controller and stared nervously into the cool green eyes of Burt Hummel.

He hesitated.

"Care to let me play with you then?" Burt asked gently.

Puck blinked at that.  
>"Do you even know...I mean...?"<p>

"Finn has been living in my house for a while now son, do you really think I haven't made him sit me down and teach me the basics?"

Noah handed the man another controller and restarted the game in two player team mode.

"I would appreciate it if you put it on the easy setting, "Burt rumbled, "And try not to embarrass an old guy too much."

They played quietly for several minutes in the almost empty conference room, not talking, not even making eyes contact.

"You're actually pretty good Mr H." Puck said as Burt managed to kill a target that had been threatening Puck's avatar.

"My reflexes have improved a bit since I got magicked up by my wife."

Puck nodded and concentrated on a tricky manoeuvre.

"Mrs H is pretty cool wishing for you to have super powers, "He said softly, "Plus those rings help I guess."

Burt just grunted softly as his character was cut in half by a trapped door.

"Those rings are really just an outward sign of what's inside our relationship." He said as he waited for his avatar to re-spawn, "They aren't a magical fix all you know. The foundations need to be laid for a healthy relationship before you can build anything fancy on top."

For the next several minutes both men were busy weaving their way through enemy fire while they tried to find the ammunition dump.

"Relationships look like a lot of work, "Puck said as he ran across open ground, drawing the enemy's fire so that Burt could reload and reposition. "I'm not a fan of hard work, ask anyone."

Burt rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Yeah kid, that's why you have a pool cleaning business in Ohio, because it isn't hard work."

"It gets me the ladies..." Puck began, but trailed off as he thought about what he was saying.

Burt said nothing for a few minutes.

"It's no easy thing you know, "Burt said softly, "Living with a reputation. Even if you worked and crafted it yourself, being stuck in someone else's pigeon hole is only good if you happen to be a pigeon."

Puck nodded slowly.

They continued their game.

"I...I used to bully Kurt real bad you know." Puck said almost inaudibly, "I bullied all of the Glee kids. But Kurt was the worst. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a gay thing, well, not for me any way, it was...I don't know what it was really."

Burt activated his grenade launcher and wiped out every target currently on their screens.

"It was mean, and dumb."

Puck nodded to himself as the next level was loaded.  
>"Yeah, that's me alright."<p>

Burt stole a swift glance at the boy sitting beside him.

"Is that what you think? That you're mean and dumb?"

"It's what I am, "Puck said bleakly, "I try to fool myself that I can change, that I have changed, but I know that deep down I'm just a player."

"Kurt loves you, you know that?" Burt asked quietly.

Puck missed his next shot and Burt had to rescue him.

"What? I...I know I like him, but Prince...I mean Kurt doesn't..."

"Do you know anyone else allowed to call him 'Princess'? "Burt asked simply, "Kurt forgave you for all your past misdeeds a long time ago son, I think you need to give yourself a break and do the same."

"I know, but..."

"It's hard sometimes to get over the fact that you've spent most of your life being a dumbassed bonehead, isn't it." Burt drawled, "Believe me, I've been there."

"You?" Puck snorted, "My dad was a bonehead. He slept around, drank, never kept any money for bills, failed school...I guess I'm just proof of nature versus nurture."

He fell silent again.

"Your dad had a lot of problems, and faults, that much s true, "Burt said softly, "But you are a hundred times the man he ever was."

More alien robots died.

Puck was trying to articulate something, but it was stuck inside.

Finally, he just said it.

"Mr H how...how did you...how do you...I...Lauren... I can't..."

Burt took the controlled from Puck's trembling fingers and put it down on the sofa between them.

"Talk to me son."

"I ...I can't...not here...I...I don't want to...to...not in front of...I...I can't hold it together if I start to talk and..."

Tears were welling up inside Puck's eyes.

.

"I have beers in my fridge at home, "Burt said easily, "If we can persuade it to let us get to them."

He clapped his hand gently to Puck's shoulder and a second later, the sofa was empty.


	67. The Tracks Of My Tears

**Hi every ones (and twos)!**

**Well, not a snappy follow up chapter I know, but at least it has arrived in the same YEAR as the last one, and way less lag time from previous gaps.  
>I have been enjoying the show, both on Glee and in real life (I did the final edit of this just after the whole "Jesse Tyler Ferguson" riot on the interwebs.)<strong>

**On the subject of CrissColfer – I must admit to having a guilty pleasure in reading a really well written fic (and wishfully shipping them more than a little myself).**

**I have however, made myself a vow to never, ever WRITE one. (which sometimes makes me sad, because I have some wonderful ideas sometimes about it, and let's face it, it does make for some really good plot...oops)**

**I suppose, I can let myself ship them because my chances of ever meeting them are slim to none, and even if I did, I'd never be able to become friends or hang out with them (the distance alone would be insurmountable, let alone ages, my lack of general housetraining etc, etc)**

**I guess my thoughts on it all are that Chris (and Darren) seems like such lovely persons, they deserve and needs someone who matches them, and their chemistry is way too good to be just wasted on a silly TV show.**

**Actually, truth be told, I'm usually a shipper of "whoever makes you happy" – love is so hard to find in this world sometimes that you shouldn't ever discount it just because it comes with problems or issues attached. (or boy and/or girl bits you weren't expecting your dream lover to have)  
>But don't listen to me, I'm just some random Aussie dude with issues and insomnia.<strong>

**(But do try to be nice and respectful to each other out there, and that includes celebrity obsessions etc)**

**Ok, this is as far as my bunnies would allow me to edit, and it seemed to be leading to the next bit – at least I can see the shape of things to come.  
>I got some surprises in this chapter too, so lord alone knows how you lot will cope (and yet, I have a feeling some of the serious followers might actually understand this fic better than I do)<strong>

**Ok, now the note is longer than the chapter, I'll go.  
>Reviews are always needed, my ego needs all the help it can get!<strong>

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or Fox, or NYC, or the Village People or a tree...no wait, I do have a couple of trees. (oh, and sorry the last line isn't funny)  
><strong>_

**.**

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Oh my god! This bread is amazing! Dave, Dave, you have got to taste this!"

David Karofsky raised one brow and smirked at his excited boyfriend.  
>"I did taste it Jeff. You're projecting so hard I'm sharing your taste now."<p>

Jeff stopped bouncing and blinked in surprise.

"Of course, I think I know of a way to taste it for myself again. Come here sexy."

Dave leant over the small table in the booth they were sharing and captured Jeff's lips with his own.

"Oh look sweetie, our baby gay is all grown up now. He's finally mastered the art of gratuitous public displays of affection. Our work here is done."

Kurt's voice was brimming with unreleased laughter as he and Blaine approached the booth with several drinks in hand.  
>The waiter was walking behind them carrying their food on a tray.<p>

Dave simply turned his gaze coldly upon the couple, then turned back to Jeff and leant even further over the table to kiss him again.  
>This time, as his arms came up and wrapped around Jeff's shoulders, his shirt rode up a little too, exposing the tanned muscles of his lower back.<p>

Blaine and Kurt both heard the hiss of the sudden intake of breath from their waiter and Blaine managed to catch the tray with the food on it before it slipped from the man's nerveless fingers.

Kurt bit his lip to hide a smirk as he noticed the waiter's gaze was firmly fixed on the movement in the muscles of Dave's back.

With a start the man shook his head and smiled with a slight blush.

"Sorry guys, I promise I wasn't...oh who am I kidding, I was ogling. I think it might be against some city ordinance or other to not ogle a butt like that. I hope you take it as a compliment and not as some sort of sleazy come on. Please, enjoy your food and, Blaine, Kurt, thanks for helping me carry those drinks. We're really short staffed today. Anyway...you guys get back to your lunch and I'll...I'll go ogle you from over there, where you won't have to risk slipping in the puddle of drool."

Dave blushed like a fire-engine and Jeff laughed.

"I'm so glad you talked us into coming to the Village for lunch." Kurt said, also laughing, "I don't think I've ever felt like this while out in public...ever."

"We felt that when we spent the day here after the concert." Jeff nodded, "It took a while, but we finally felt safe enough to hold hands on the street even. By the end of the day, it still felt a little scary, but also...freeing. It's the fact that this has to be one of the safest places in the city for us. Let's face it, I think in this restaurant at least we might even outnumber the straights three to one."

"I know what you mean, "Dave said patiently picking out most of the black olives from one of the salads before placing them in one of the other bowls. He then passed the second bowl to Jeff with a smile. "I still feel a little weird about PDA, but if it makes my Snuffy smile like that..."

Kurt's brow rose in query at his actions but Blaine whispered the answer to him before he could verbalise the question.

"Jeff really adores black olives, it's like chocolate is for most people. That's why Dave ordered the same salad. I had forgotten until I saw Dave doing that."

"My Bird is an Angel, isn't he?" Jeff said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Kurt looked blankly at the pair before answering in the driest, blandest voice he could summon.  
>"Yes, yes he is."<p>

Even in the middle of a busy, crowded diner the four boys felt a moment of special solitude between their small group.

"Darn, we forgot to get ketchup for Dave's fries." Jeff said softly.

Kurt made a gesture to where their waiter was writing down another group's order at the counter and the man smiled at him and made a 'hang on a second' gesture back.  
>After processing the order he looked up and smiled at Kurt, who made a 'shake the bottle' gesture and then blushed beet red and pointed at his own face.<br>The waiter laughed out loud, picked up one of the ketchup bottles from behind the counter and asked another passing waiter to drop it by their table on her way.

"How on earth do you do that?" Jeff asked. "Blush on cue I mean?"

"I just imagined suddenly finding myself naked in here with everyone laughing and pointing at me."

Blaine and Dave both snorted into their sodas while Jeff bit back a giggle.

"What? It would be mortifying? I don't think the world is ready to see me in all my fish-bellied glory."

Blaine was shaking his head.  
>"Kurt, you're gorgeous. If you were naked in here, people wouldn't be laughing, they'd be drooling. You have amazing arms, and your chest and abs are like...marble. Like a Michelangelo statue but warm and breathing. "<p>

"Your legs reach all the way to the floor too!" Jeff teased.

Dave shook his head.  
>"Nope! Blaine is wrong about his favourite part of Kurt. I can't believe it's not butt, huh!"<p>

Everyone paused at the monumental awfulness of the pun.

"Dave..." Kurt said slowly, "I think your jokes have finally hit, rock bottom."

"That joke was a bit of a pun in the ass!" Blaine said, straight-faced.

"Sorry honey, "Jeff said sadly, "But not even I can get behind you on that one."

There was a long pause while Dave continued to munch his fries and then...all four of them burst into uncontrollable giggles.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The fridge had almost seemed happy that someone was finally back in the house, and it turned out that the TV had taken it upon itself to record the favourite shows of each of the members of the household.

Burt had patted the side of the television as he thanked it for being so thoughtful and had promised to tell Kurt about it, which had made the horizontal hold flicker for several seconds in emotional response.  
>Burt asked for something to play in the background that wouldn't be too distracting while he and Puck enjoyed a beer and had a chat, so they were half listening to a repeat of one of Burt's favourite fishing shows.<br>Puck was very quiet, but he seemed much more relaxed now, in the privacy afforded by the Hummel home.

"Ok son, what's eating at you today?" Burt said gently as he leant back against his side of the sofa and took his first mouthful.

Puck was silent for the space of several long breaths and then spoke hesitantly.  
>"I keep messing things up with Lauren."<p>

Burt nodded and raised one brow.  
>"When you say 'mess things up', what do you mean? I don't mean, 'what did you do', I can imagine it was probably some sort of crass remark. What I want to know is, what are you messing up?"<p>

Puck seemed confused.  
>"I...I don't understand the question Mr H."<p>

"What is the thing that you're messing up? What do you have, or want to have, that you believe you're not going to get if you keep doing these things that you keep doing?"

Puck's face communicated his understanding.

"I...I...this is hard to put into words."

"We got time."

Puck took a long swallow of his beer.

"Mr H...I don't know if you know about my reputation..."

"I know son. I listen to some of the things Finn and Kurt talk about, plus there was the whole baby scandal. Also, some of the guys at the garage have talked about you and your posse of cougars from time to time. Mind you, I told them to stop that when I heard it. I'm not sure how much of the stories are true but..."

"Probably most of it." Puck sighed, "I... I seriously don't know how many..."

He took another large mouthful.

"My dad slept around on my mom. He drank, gambled, he never held down a job. He never hit her, or me, but he used to shout at us sometimes. I...I'm just like him. I've slept with almost every available girl I've met since junior high. I lost my virginity at fourteen to the sister of my guitar teacher. She was twenty eight. I... some of the ladies whose pools I clean...they... some of them are hot, and I used to have sex with them too. Some of them aren't so hot anymore but they...I let them ... they'd...I let them pay me for it. I'm worse than my dad. At least he wasn't a whore as well as a scumbag."

Burt was silent while Puck was speaking.

"Do you do these things anymore?" He asked.

"No." Puck said softly, "I couldn't... I did it for money a few times. At first I felt like I was...I felt...they were paying me! I was worth something! I was someone they wanted enough to pay money for. Then after a while it didn't feel so good. I realised that it wasn't me they wanted. Even the ones that were hot, even the young girls, they didn't want me, they just wanted the thrill, the sweaty rolling around, the...the..."

"The penis?" Burt said dryly.

Puck snorted as he failed to suppress a laugh and beer went up his nose.

"So that's where Kurt gets it from..."

"Sorry kid, I didn't mean to make you spill your drink."

Puck waved his hand towards the older man and shook his head.

"It's cool Mr H. I needed to let some of the tension out anyway."

"So, go on."

Puck wiped his face with his sleeve and continued.  
>" After the whole mess with Beth and Quinn...I just couldn't do it anymore. Not just the whoring, I mean the whole sex thing. I just felt so...so cheap. But I don't know how to not be that person. I tried talking to Santana about it, but...well...she...um... no, I shouldn't say anything about..."<p>

"She was in the same sort of place as you wasn't she?" Burt said delicately, "It's ok son. Kurt brought Santana over to our house several weeks ago to talk with Carole about similar things."

Puck looked surprised and...relieved at that information.

"When Kurt moved to Dalton we needed a replacement for him, and Lauren... Well, she said she'd join us if I got her some crème eggs and made out with her in a closet. I... I didn't even hesitate, even though she's not my usual type, physically I mean, I'm used to selling myself for what I need."

"Just tell the story, less of the beating up on yourself, ok son?"

Puck nodded.

"Anyway, we were making out and she was...she was really good at it! I was getting turned on and then she just, stops. She told me that I just wasn't up to her standards. She said that even though she hadn't taken the full seven minutes I had promised her, she'd honour her commitment to the Glee club, but...I just felt. She was... she didn't want me. She was the first girl I've met that just didn't want me and I... it's crazy, but I wanted to make her change her mind. I just thought...no, I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to make her want me. It was the challenge, at first. Plus, she was a really good kisser, and I hadn't ever been with anyone who had muscles like that, well, not a girl anyway. She had held me so tight and I just felt..."

Puck's voice trailed off and he took another swig.

"...it's like, it's like something I heard on that Doctor Who show Jeff has been making us all watch since Blaine went all magical. Something about, you meet a gorgeous person, and you want them, and you get to know them, and after five minutes you realise that it's like trying to have a conversation with a pile of laundry, and you don't want them anymore. And then there are people you meet and you think, yeah, they're ok I suppose, and then you get to know them and every day you learn more about them and you just...their face just grows on you and suddenly they are the most beautiful thing in the entire world. Does any of that make sense?"

"I haven't seen the show, but I understand exactly what you mean."

"Really?"

"It's called love son. When you love someone, and I mean really love them, then whatever beauty they had that attracted you in the first place, it gets turned up a whole another level. Attraction is easy. Lots of people are attractive, and falling in love can happen if you're lucky enough. But real, deep, abiding love, that takes time and work and effort. But it's worth it."

"How do I do it though? I'm spoiled goods. I can't...I can't ask Lauren to take a worthless piece of crap like me into her life. What if I start acting like my dad again?"

"Do you want to have sex with Lauren?" Burt asked, changing the direction of their conversation slightly.

"Yes. No. I... I don't know." Puck was obviously torn, "I want to. She's...she really is gorgeous. Maybe not to most people, but I love her body. It matches her huge heart and her huge badass attitude. But I'm scared. I'm scared Mr Hummel. If I...if we do that, what if she decides I'm not worth it after all?"

"So instead your plan is to get her to kick you to the kerb before you get what you want?"

"What I want?"

"You said before, you wanted her to want you."

"I did, I do, but it's not just that anymore. I used to tell everyone that I'm a sex-shark. I've got to have sex or I'll die. But me and Lauren...it's not just about that. But I don't know how to relate to someone without it being about sex. So I keep saying stupid things and teasing Kurt and Dave and... I don't know how to be a good person Mr H...I just don't..."

Puck's voice was wavering and he had tears in his eyes again but he struggled hard and held himself together.

Burt reached out and pulled the shaking boy to his chest and just held him.

"You can let it out son. Don't try to fight what you feel, ok? You matter son, you aren't defined by what you've done in the past, or who your parents are. You can be whoever and whatever you want to make yourself. Just let it all out. Look at it this way. Sometimes, in order to fix and engine, you need to take it apart to find the problem. Let yourself fall apart son...Noah. I promise I'll help you put all the pieces back together."

Noah Puckerman cried and cried while strong arms held him and soft words of comfort were kissed onto the top of his head.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Ok, I thought it would be cool to not have everyone staring at us in disgust for once, "Kurt said as he and Blaine walked hand in hand down the street, "But I think this is almost worse."

Blaine nodded in agreement as Jeff chuckled from beside them.

"Let's face it Kurt, "He said grinning at the other couple as they moved from the busy sidewalk and into a shady park in search of somewhere to rest their legs and their shopping, "With the four of us together, we're basically most gay guys' idea of a living porno."

"Excuse me?" Dave said slightly perturbed.

"No, I mean, look at us objectively..." Jeff began.

"I've been feeling objectified for over an hour now, "Kurt muttered as they moved towards a circle of benches facing out from around the large trunk of a huge shady tree.

Jeff snorted with laughter.  
>"I mean it. Look at us. I'm the stereotypical surfer slash skater boy image, Kurt is the impeccably dressed twink ice queen, Bird is a hunky bear-cub and Blaine..."<p>

"Did they have a hobbit in the Village People?" Kurt mused as he dusted off the seat with a cloth from his messenger bag.

"That is so rude!" Blaine huffed in mock outrage.

"Blaine is the sexy preppy, "Dave laughed as he took Jeff's bags off him.

"That still doesn't explain why almost every guy we met so far has either propositioned one or more of us, or they've grabbed their boyfriends and practically hissed at us like offended cats." Kurt said, sitting down at last.

"Let's face it honey, "Blaine said sweetly, "You guys are bringing a whole lot of sexy to the party. And I know I'm ok, for a hobbit I mean, so..."

"You, my darling, are the sexiest, sweetest, most perfect mythological creature I've ever slept with." Kurt said, kissing him with the sudden ferocity so at odds with his usual calm demeanour that Blaine always felt his breath catch in his chest when it did happen.

Dave looked on and smiled at the display of emotion going on beside him.

"Hey Jeff, want to sit here?" He said, turning to his boyfriend and indicating his lap, "I wouldn't want you to get those white shorts...Jeff? What's wrong baby?"

Jeff was standing in front of the three boys, wavering slightly on his feet as his eyes glowed a faint silver.

"Someone...pain...despair...fear...so alone...so tired...someone nearby...so...empty...we need to find...him...her...I...I can't tell... near, they're near."

Jeff snapped out of whatever trance his powers had thrown him into.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked simply and Blaine immediately allowed his suppression of most of his fearsome Timelord perception to fade, bringing the world around him back into sharp focus.  
>He had discovered that he just got too tired to keep his senses on full alert at all times, and he had experimented enough to realise that his 'spider senses' for danger seemed to still work perfectly even when he was suppressing his natural instincts to a level almost as low as a normal human.<p>

"It has to be behind that tree, over to Kurt's left, the boy in the red shirt."

"Should we...oh who am I kidding, "Dave said softly, "Of course we're going to go interfere."

Kurt nodded.

"It's what we do now." He and Jeff said simultaneously.

Dave smiled wryly and stood up.

.

Normally, almost anyone confronted suddenly by four guys in a park would have either bolted or assumed a fighting stance, let alone someone who had obviously been crying.

Jeff's powers stopped the fight or flight impulse though.

"Hello?" Kurt said softly, approaching closer while the others stood back enough not to frighten the boy. "We don't mean to be rude but...we couldn't help noticing that you seem a little upset. Can we help? I know...we all know what it's like to be alone and crying and wishing someone would listen to our problems...could you use a friendly ear...or maybe a shoulder...or even just a handkerchief?"

The boy looked up.

His big brown eyes were red rimmed and swollen, indicating that he has been crying for some time.  
>Tears had made tracks down the dark chocolate brown skin of his face.<p>

He looked up and gasped in astonishment.

"Oh my God!" He said softly. "You...you're him! You're Kurt...Kurt Hummel! Oh my God!"

Kurt blinked in astonishment of his own.  
>"I'm sorry? Do I know you? I'm terribly embarrassed if I've forgotten..."<p>

"Oh no, we've never met. But I...you... you're sort of a hero of mine. "

"Did you watch the broadcast from Radio City...?"

"Oh no, I mean, yes, yes I watched the show. I was in awe of you, and the others, especially Mercedes Jones, she's an idol of mine too. No, what I mean is...I guarantee I've watched every video you've posted with New Directions. I'm a bit of a Show Choir junkie, and I've been following you for almost two years now, ever since I was in the audience for your first sectional's performance, which, by the way, you were amazing in. I mean, yes, Rachel Berry was impressive with her rendition of Barbra's classic, but the way I could hear your counter-tenor floating above all the other voices just filling in the gaps in the music. My heart positively brimmed over with emotion."

Kurt blinked a little and seemed confused.

"Oh...well..."

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself did I? My name is Wade, Wade Adams, and I think this might be the luckiest day of my entire life."


	68. The Real Me?

**Hi there! Me again. Well, the bunnies are really loving the talky talky stuff – but I think we might need a few chapters of character before things start blowing up again. (I hope not literally)**

**Reviews would be, as always, treasured and wonderful – esp long complicated ones (you might have guessed from this fic that I like complicated.)**

**Anyway – I've been ok the last few weeks, although I did get verbally attacked the other day. (why do the drunken meatheads always think that insulting me for my weight and/or sexuality is the cleverest solution?)**

**I managed to respond to the verbal attack in a very Kurt-like manner (never let the bastards see you cry) – although the physical assault was a bit much (he spat on me – no punches or anything)**

**I refused to be provoked, even though I could quite easily have smashed the little weed into the ground (he was about mid 50s, 200lbs, 5'10" and very very drunk, I'm about 6'4" and make Azimio look like Artie) – oh, note please, it was at my work and about 3 o'clock in the AFTERNOON.**

**The place was full of customers, really busy, and I couldn't take a break to have a weep so I had to soldier on for another 3 hours. (several of the customers harassed him out of the store for me, and a couple of them actually came BACK a couple of hours later to make sure I was still ok) – for every knobhead there's some nice ones I suppose.**

**Enough about me – I hope everyone in your lives is well and, if not happy, at least has a clean hanky nearby to weep into.**

_**DISCLAIMER: Don't own it, don't write it, Free and Easy and wishing you were here.**_

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"It's lovely to meet you Wade, "Kurt smiled at him and shook his hand. "I suppose since you've been stalking, I mean, following me over the last few years..."

Kurt paused for a little giggle, which Wade echoed with a nervous smile.

"Only a little stalking, I assure you. " Wade said swiftly.

Kurt smiled more broadly, "Well, since you know who I am, I won't have to introduce myself at least."

He turned to the others who were still a few feet away, trying not to crowd in on the boy.

"This is Blaine Anderson, lead singer of the Dalton..."

"The Warblers! They're amazing, although I have to say upfront that I was glad New Directions beat you guys at Regionals. I mean, I can appreciate a well rehearsed prep-boy ensemble as much as the next girl, but...Oh, I do apologise. I sometimes let my nerves run away with my mouth. Please, do go on."

Kurt smiled reassuringly at the nervous boy, again.

"Also from the Warblers is Jeff Sterling, and this is Dave Karofsky."

"Oh! You were the one who closed the first act of the show on the Fourth! I didn't recognise you, Dave, from my show choir blogs and I wondered where you were from. Your voice is amazing and you had so much emotion in that song."

Dave gave him a shy smile and then hid his blushing face in Jeff's shoulder.

Wade blinked a little at the movement and then his eyes widened.  
>"Oh my! You are a couple! I thought you were. I told my parents that you looked like you were singing to the blond boy, but Dad said...Oh, this is marvellous!"<p>

"Are your parents with you in the city?" Kurt asked, trying to keep the boy on track.

"Yes, we flew in the day before the concert. We're supposed to be moving to Akron from Columbus before the summer ends. I was having some issues at my old middle school there and for my junior year of high school my parents wanted me to have a completely fresh start. Since they've known all about my passion for show choir, they did some research and discovered that one of the choirs from Akron had won the National title seven years in a row, and they only just got beaten into second this year. So they enrolled me in the school and sent in some audio files as a preliminary audition, to see if I could get into the ensemble. The coach of the choir was so interested in me that he arranged for an in person audition for a possible leading soloist role, but now, I'm too scared to go to it."

Kurt and the others blinked a little at the flood of information being hurled at them.

"Ok...first things first, "Kurt said slowly, "Where are your parents now?"

"They're in the hotel, it's about four blocks that way."

"Ok, "Kurt smiled, "And they're not going to be concerned about you...wandering the streets of the city the day after a major security problem?"

"They were having a nap, I left a note to tell them I was just going out for a coffee. I'm sixteen, and I assure you I can scream and run away like a boss."

Jeff stifled a giggle at that one.

Kurt nodded.

"Ok then. My next question is...Vocal Adrenaline? Why? Are you mad?"

Dave seemed about to say something to Kurt about his question, but Blaine stilled him with a touch of his hand.

Wade was nodding slowly.

"I know. I've heard all the stories, and I'm truly terrified. But my parents did all this for me, they're planning a move across the state, for me. I can't just throw it back in their faces in a churlish fit of ingratitude. Also, I have to admit a huge thrill at the thought that the coach actually likes my voice well enough to give me a shot at not only getting into the best show choir in the country..."

"Second best", Kurt murmured beneath his breath.

"...but I'm being given a possible lead role. I have to try. At least, that's what I thought, but now I find myself assailed by doubts and premonitions of disaster."

"Before we talk about that, "Kurt inserted, "What are you doing auditioning in New York? I would have assumed that their base in Akron would have been the appropriate..."

"Oh, the director insisted on flying us all out here. He's busy with some sort of networking strategy over the summer and couldn't possibly get away from the city. Vocal Adrenaline has a huge slush fund set aside for such things apparently. Several of the leading candidates have been staying at various hotels around Manhattan. The school has been keeping us apart so that we don't start bonding with each other and lose our aggressive edge. We're all supposed to be meeting each other for the first time at some big fundraiser tonight. We've been here for days and I still haven't auditioned. The Director told us that tonight would involve several chances to perform. He wants to see what we have in our arsenals to blow our competition away. That's why I simply can't go. I don't have anything in my arsenal at all. I was alright when I sang on the audition tapes, but in front of an audience Wade Adams is unable to sing a note. I thought, perhaps wandering the streets of Greenwich Village might inspire me, or fill me with a sense of purpose and determination, a sense of belonging, but it's just made everything worse. I just want to go home to Columbus and start home-schooling and forget this whole sorry affair ever happened, but I can't even do that anymore, our house has been sold already and we're living in a hotel in Akron until we find a new one."

Kurt gave the melodramatic boy a sympathetic smile.

"You said things were rough at your old school? Were you ...I don't want to assume anything but...were you bullied because of your sexuality? Don't be embarrassed if that's the case, all of us know a lot about school kids and bullies."

Dave bit his lip and sighed sadly, receiving as he did so a glare from Kurt and a slap on each arm from Blaine and Jeff.

Wade didn't notice the brief interaction.

"What? Oh...you're all gay? That's wonderful but...I'm...I thought I was gay but...I'm not gay. I wish I was. That's why I'm so upset here now. I thought that I might find a place to fit in here at last, but I don't. I don't fit in anywhere. And now I have just four hours left to convince my parents to try to find a flight back to Akron or somehow convince her to sing."

"Her?" Kurt asked, puzzled, "Who is..."

"Have you ever had a secret? Something inside you that makes you different, that means you just can't belong anywhere? I do. I'm an adequate singer, but she's the real diva. It was her voice that the panel from Vocal Adrenaline heard, but I've never sung in public before, not as my true self."

"Your true self?"

Wade looked lost and afraid.  
>"When I was young, I had an imaginary friend. We used to play with dolls and watch cartoons together and just...talk. When I went to preschool my friend would come with me, but she'd sit at the back of the room and made me promise not to let anyone know she was there. When we got home we'd sing the songs the teacher had been teaching us and just...chill. Her voice was always so beautiful. I don't know what happened, really. After a while we just...I stopped imagining her. Then one day I was asked to sing a solo in the church choir, just a few lines, but I was terrified. I lay awake all Saturday night worrying about it. In the end I got up and decided to paint my nails, like my imaginary friend and I used to when I was a kid. Just a plain neutral colour, nothing fancy, that's all my mom had in the bathroom, but it just made me feel so much more relaxed. The next day, when I stood up to sing I felt as if my friend, my imaginary friend, was standing with me, and when I opened my mouth, it was her who sang. I mean, it was my voice, but her singing with it. In the last couple of years I...I've started to wear polish on my nails all the time. I've spent a lot of my allowance buying clothes, in secret, girl's clothes. I even bought some wigs online after my grandfather gave me a gift card from Neiman Marcus that I could use as a credit card in their online store. Sometimes I dress up and...I feel...I finally feel...real. I finally feel whole and complete. I was wearing her clothes when I made the tapes my mom used for the audition. Now, all those people are going to expect me to sing like that again, but Wade can't sing like that, only she can."<p>

"What's...her...name Wade?" Dave asked softly.

"Unique. " Wade said simply, "She's the one who sings. I used to think I was gay. I like boys, that much is sure, and my parents say they always assumed I was gay, since I was about four years old. I never really had to come out...until now. Now I have to tell them...tell them I simply don't know what I am. I'm used to rising above the taunts and slurs that others try to pull me down with for being gay, but it turns out they were right all along, I am a freak. I..."

The boy dissolved into sobs.

Kurt sat beside him on the bench and patted his hand awkwardly.  
>A second later, Dave was sitting on Wade's other side and simply drew the sobbing boy into his large arms and let him cry against his chest.<p>

Blaine and Jeff came over and sat at their respective boyfriends' feet, not touching Wade but letting him know they were there to support him.

"I'm so sorry...I..."

"Shh, "Kurt said gently, squeezing Wade's hand, "You're strong, you're supported, and loved. The only thing you are most definitely not is a freak."

"Then what am I?"

Dave was the one who answered.  
>"I think you might be what's called, transgendered. It just means that although your body and your DNA say you should be one sex, your...your soul knows that it's supposed to be the other."<p>

Dave noted the looks the other three were giving him.

"What? I read about this stuff when I was going through my crises. I want to be a therapist one day, remember?"

"So I'm...what? I'm a woman trapped in a boy's body?"

"Trapped is a little harsh, let's just say that you might have another side living in there who has been trying to redecorate the place so she can feel comfortable too. "Dave said, succeeding in drawing a small chuckle from Wade.

"Sexual identity is completely separate from sexual orientation too, "Dave continued, "So while Wade might be categorised as a gay man, Unique is a straight woman...unless she's into girls? Is she?"

Wade was brightening a lot under the gentleness of Dave's teasing.

"No, she's definitely into guys too. But is this all actually possible? I mean, I thought you could only be gay or straight, or maybe bi, if that really exists."

Kurt sighed and looked briefly at Blaine.

"I've learned at last that human sexual identity is way more complex and wonderful than anyone ever dreams." Kurt said softly.

"A rainbow is made up of more than just two colours." Dave said, and then flinched slightly when everyone else looked at him suddenly.

"That was such a beautiful way of putting it." Wade said smiling.

"That's my Bird, "Jeff sighed proudly, "He can always put things perfectly."

Blaine was the one who sniggered first, but the rest were close behind him.

"Now tell us about this thing you're meant to be performing at, "Kurt said when they had almost finished laughing, "And what madness is Goolsby up to now?"

"Who? Wade asked, "Oh, Dustin Goolsby? Oh, but he's not the director anymore, he was fired after they came second this year,"

"So who have they got as coach now?" Blaine asked, "He sounds like a typical piece of work."

"He was their star performer for several years, 'Wade said, "Jesse St James."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I thought you were going shopping with Mercedes, Rachel and Lauren? "Nick asked as he sat down on the sofa beside Sam. "Didn't Mercedes say something about needing someone to lug their bags for the afternoon?"

Sam nodded and continued to make the sandwiches he was putting together from the lunch buffet Song Lee had arranged as usual in the conference room.

"Hello Sam, hello Nick, "John Anderson said as he came up to grab another fruit juice for himself and one for his wife who slipped in under his arm. "I thought your parents said you were watching your brother and sister in the pool while they went for a walk in the park?"

Sam smiled and nodded silently, but continued making sandwiches, lots of sandwiches.

"Oh, is that why you didn't go shopping?" Nick said.

"I did, "Sam replied to Nick, carefully cutting the crusts off one of the sandwiches he had just made.

"And I am." He said to Blaine's parents. "But the kids were already getting really, really hungry, so I thought I'd come up here to make their lunch while I supervised their showers after swimming. That way they can eat as soon as we get here."

John and Elaine were puzzled by that, but Nick, who knew more about Sam and Mercedes' new status than most, thanks to his connection with Quinn, wasn't that confused.

"It must be strange to be the only person on the planet who can never, ever legitimately complain that they can't be in two places at the same time." He said laughing, "Oh, and Quinn is helping you with Stacey's hair, since you refuse to answer yourself when he thinks at you, and she says Stacey would like a grape juice please, for a change. She thinks the flavours will compliment her ham sandwich better."

Sam made a face, "We have to stop letting Kurt try to teach them culture, he's going to get my brother and sister so sophisticated by the time they get to high school that I won't be able to understand anything they say."

Nick laughed.

"Oh, and you'd hate telepathy with yourself too. It's like trying to talk to a mirror inside an empty concrete tunnel. The echo almost drives you mad. Plus, I can't just tune in and out between one of me, if I want to communicate between Avatars I have to almost go into a trance and then all of us get dragged into the loop. Mercedes would kill me if I dropped her shopping all over Fifth Avenue."

"I'm sensing that this is something about your powers. "Elaine Anderson said wryly, "Unless you've both decided to go mad at the same time. We never knew what you and Mercedes had used the coins to wish for that night, and now that you've both got rings..."

She made a 'please tell me without me having to ask you' face.

Sam laughed and poured a glass of grape juice.

"Mercedes wished for the ability to resist injuries, so she could be a shield to those she wanted to protect, "He said, love pouring from his eyes as he thought of her. "While I wished for the ability to always be where and what I needed to be when the people I loved were threatened. It turns out, my wish had some unintended consequences, namely, I can as Nick says, be in two or more places at once, and my sonic screwdriver from the cyber world came back to me, only it has more forms and functions than I thought were possible. "

"I'm curious though, "Nick asked, "How many copies can you make before it all gets too much?"

Sam started carefully opening a bag of fresh potato chips and sharing them equally between two plates he had obviously put aside for his siblings' lunches.

"I'm not sure, "He said, "But the more places I am, the harder it is to maintain, plus the forms get weaker and more tired more quickly. I could probably just make me and one copy last for a whole day, say twenty-four hours, but if I had three of me I'd only be able to hold it for half that time. Blaine thinks it might reduce on the same principles, which means I could probably make up to ten of me at once, but only for a minute or so. Plus, as I discovered the other night, if one of me gets killed it really knocks the rest about. I was struggling out there."  
>The elevator chimed and Sam, Stevie, Stacey and Quinn all walked out together.<p>

"Other Sammy!" Stacey shouted and let go of Quinn's hand to run to her brother, the one making her lunch that is. "Can you come and play dollies with me and Quinn and Steffi later?"

"You promised me you'd teach me how to win at Super Mario!" Stevie complained.

"I can do both kids!" the Sam next to Quinn laughed, "But I think if I'm planning to be so busy after lunch I'd better give myself a bit of a rest now, hadn't I?"

With that his two forms moved to each other and with a soft shimmer of light they dissolved into each other, leaving a single body.

Sam's eyes were unfocused for a second, and then he shook his head and smiled.

"Sorry, catching up is a bit of a shock still."

John Anderson looked confused.

"When I rejoin with one of my selves it takes a second or so for me to...'remember' what each of them has done since we split. The longer apart, or the more different or further away the activities have been, the greater the confusion while I sort it all out in my head."

"Which of you is the...was...the real one? "John Anderson asked, "Or is the real you with Mercedes?"

"All of us are real, "Sam said, "I know, it gives me a headache too sometimes, trying to work it out. I tried asking Lord Tubbington about it but he just started crying and beating his head on the floor and muttering something about rulebooks and confetti. I thought it was best to leave him be."

John Anderson laughed.

"Actually, Mr Anderson, I wonder if I could ask you about something. I'll just go get Stevie and Stacey settled and..."

"Nick and I can mind them while they eat lunch, "Quinn said, "Since you're going to be pulling double time with them later, it will give you a break too, come on kids!"

They moved out onto the roof terrace to eat in the sun.

"Ok Sam, what's the problem?" John Anderson said as he and his wife sat at one of the tables with Sam.

"Well... I don't want to sound desperate or anything but...did you have any work going at your firm, either of you?"

John was puzzled for a few second.  
>"I...aren't you just about to start your senior year? I thought..."<p>

"Oh, no, not for me, for my dad. I...Both of mom and dad lost their jobs a few months ago, and our savings are getting really low. Mom has managed to find a few hours a week working at Sheets and Things, but it's not a whole lot of money. I don't suppose Blaine or Kurt would have told you, but we've been living all together in a motel room out on Highway six. Neither of them has been able to get full-time work, not with the economy the way it has been, not in Lima anyway. They had spoken to me about us all having to move to Kentucky. Dad said there was a chance for him to get work there. I didn't want to leave McKinley, and all my friends but...I didn't really have much of a choice, did I? Now that Mercedes and I have...are...well, you know, we have these things now..."

He held up his hand to show the silver ring which circled his finger.

"...well...he's asked Kurt's family if I could move in with them and stay at McKinley. They know that separating from Mercedes isn't really an option anymore, not for me. But he and mom and my brother and sister would still be moving, I don't want to leave them, but I can't go with them. I was ...Kurt and Blaine have already offered to just pay for them to stay, but...my dad won't accept what he sees as charity. What Kurt, Quinn and Blaine did for us already has been so much. I don't think his pride could take much more pity. I just thought...if you knew of anything that might be going? He's a good man. The only reason he got laid off was because he had been the most recent hire so..."

"What does your father do exactly?" John said, "Wasn't he working as a project manager for...what was the name of that construction company dear?"

Before Elaine could answer him Sam interrupted.

"Oh, yes he was, he has qualifications as a builder and as a carpenter, as well as experience managing large projects. He also did a course in accounting, so he's a qualified and accredited accountant too. That's been the problem actually, the few places that actually have work to offer won't offer it to him because he is over qualified. It just sucks."

A small potted flower walked into the room and tapped delicately at Sam's leg.

"Oh, looks like Quinn needs rescuing from the terrible two!" Sam said smiling, "I better go finish my lunch with them anyway. If you do hear of anything Mr Anderson, Mrs Anderson, please let my dad know. Don't tell him I asked you though. He would think it was me blabbing family business around, but Kurt says it's just networking and perfectly sensible. I'd better run."

He grabbed his tray and hurried out of the room. Before he'd taken more than a few steps, his form shimmered slightly and a copy of Sam turned back and picked up the small pot that still sat beside his chair and took it outside again.

"That boy has a good heart." John Anderson said, "And a good head on his shoulders."

"Several good heads, "Elaine Anderson agreed dryly, "And on all of his shoulders!"

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Mercedes was going to get to the bottom of it all if it killed someone, no matter how skilfully Lauren was trying to put her off.

"Zizes, let's just cut the crap, ok?"She finally said as they took a lunch stop in a wonderful little deli that Mercedes recalled one of the Warblers mentioning the other day as being particularly fine.

"I'm sure I don't know..."

"You are the one who asked me to come shopping with you, which means you want to talk about it, which means that we are going to talk about it, now, and then, when we get back, I am going to talk to Puck!"

"No need, "Lauren said, "I've already taken steps on that side of the equation."

"What steps?"

"Puck is messed up inside, you know that?" Lauren said in her typically blunt fashion.

Mercedes just nodded.

"Well, I figured out most of his problems with relationships come from his dad, so..."

Mercedes gasped.

"You asked Burt to intervene didn't you?"

Lauren nodded.  
>"I had a big speech all worked out. But in the end I just said, I needed help with Puckerman. I told him, 'You raised Kurt, and he's the most awesome guy I know. So... my man needs a father, and you're the best qualified. He's upstairs being a blockhead. Go up there and shake some sense into him. He ain't gonna let me love him until he lets himself do it, so I need you to smash him to bits and then build him up better than his loser dad managed.' And then I just looked at Mr Hummel and waited."<p>

"What did he say?" Mercedes asked.

"He just said 'have fun shopping' and blinked out."

"So if you don't need help with Puck...?"

"I need help with me." Lauren sighed.

She looked over to where Rachel and Sam were waiting to pick up everyone's orders and bring them to the table.

"Can I wait till The Mouth and the Other Mouth get back?" She drawled, "I asked you to invite them along because I need their opinion too."

Mercedes was satisfied to wait.

A few minutes later, Sam and Rachel returned to them bearing a tray laden with the most delicious sandwiches and wraps Mercedes had seen since the time last year that Kurt had organised the pot-luck luncheon the day after Black Friday. That boy knew his way around leftovers.

Sam smiled at her as he revealed the plate of crunchy potatoey goodness he had ordered as a surprise.

"They aren't tots, "He said hastily, "But the chef said he could whip up a quick order of potato croquettes for you. They have corn, golden shallots and dill and a little bit of egg in them to bind them. Rachel said you should love them."

"Not as much as I love you, "Mercedes said with a smile, "The fact that you were thinking of me is the best part of it all."

Rachel and Lauren sighed at the same time, then made eye contact with each other and stifled a chuckle.

"Please tell me Finn and I are never that sappy." Rachel whispered to Lauren.

"Worse, "The large girl hissed back, "At least he's not actively trying to eat her face off like Gigantor does with you."

Rachel felt the first twinges of her usual defensiveness coming online, when Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled at her.

"Sorry, just teasing Berry. It's actually kind of sweet to see how much in love you and Frankenteen are these days. I miss the old days of Epic Movie quality drama a little, but seeing how you and the beanpole have managed to find a way to work out your issues...it kinda gives me a little hope, ya know?"

Rachel was in one of her perceptive phases, and she picked up what was not being said loud and clear.

"It's Noah, isn't it?"She asked bluntly, "What has he done this time? He's a sweet boy at heart, but sometimes he lets his inner dirtbag do his thinking for him."

Lauren snorted and bit a pickle in half.

"Puck sometimes thinks with another sort of bag entirely, "She mumbled.

"If it's any help..." Rachel said tentatively, "I think you and he can be really sweet together too...sometimes."

"It's the sometimes that's the problem." Lauren said, "Now, I'm not used to all this soft focus and violin strings playing romance crap. I like things plain and straightforward, usually. But I admit, being with Puck has...when he's really trying to be romantic instead of sleazy, it makes me feel something inside...in my heart and I...I think I'm starting to work out what all the damn fuss is about."

"Oh that is so..."Rachel began.

"Just let me get it all out before you go into Bette Davis mode, ok Berry?"

Rachel stopped in mid word and nodded, wide eyed.

"Damn, you must have serious magic powers to stop Rachel talking that easily."Mercedes drawled, having surfaced for air.  
>Sam sat next to them, his lips even more swollen than usual, with a slightly dazed look on his face.<p>

"I guess I just need to know...is it worth it?" Lauren asked bluntly, "Is the pain and the hassle and the compromising worth it? I usually don't go into anything unless the benefits and risks have been well mapped out for me. But this time...I'm hoping that Puckerman might be able to man up soon and start acting like a real boyfriend instead of a whiny little damaged brat."

"Noah has had...issues for some time, "Rachel said softly, "You know we dated for a while?"

Lauren nodded brusquely.

"So did I, "Mercedes said, "Although we only dated for a couple of weeks, if that."

Lauren nodded again and slurped noisily on her shake.

"What about you Trouty?" She asked, "Did Puckerman date you too?"

Sam blushed.

"Um...no...um...well...no, he didn't date me...um..."

All three girls sat up a little.

"Ok, there's a story here, "Lauren said, "Spill, now."

Sam blushed again, but a supportive look from Mercedes encouraged him to speak.

"Well...ok. It was just after Finn introduced me to the Glee club. I...Puck had made some smart remark about my mouth being huge, the usual, and he asked me how many tennis balls I could fit in there."

"Sounds like him." Lauren rolled her eyes.

"I don't remember this." Mercedes said, Rachel nodding in agreement with her.

"It was just Mike, Artie, Finn and Puck." Sam said, blushing again. "Anyway, I told him that I didn't know because I had never had any balls in my mouth, and then I asked him if he had."

All three of the girls laughed.

"Oh my...how did he take that? Did he get mad?" Rachel asked.

"Well...no..." Sam said slowly, "But he did...I suppose my answer must have made him think I might be...you know...in the closet or something, because I didn't just get all defensive or...you know."

"What did he say?" Lauren asked as if dreading the answer.

"It was later that day he...he didn't say anything really he just...um..."

"Oh. My. God!" Mercedes said suddenly as the image from Sam's memory suddenly popped into her mind too.

Then she started laughing.

"What did he do?" Rachel asked both of them.

"He...he waited outside the locker room for me to come out and then he...he kissed me." Sam said softly.

"What?" Rachel almost shrieked.

"No, you have to hear the next bit, "Mercedes said through the giggles, "It's priceless."

"Spill please." Lauren said, trying not to giggle herself.

"I...I just pushed him away, gently, no violence and just explained to him that I wasn't actually gay or anything, but that I felt really flattered that he found me attractive. Then I asked him if he was still in the closet here, and if he was I would promise to never tell anyone about the kiss."

"Oh my god Sam, that is such a mature way to handle it!" Rachel was grinning at him.

"It gets better!" Mercedes chuckled.

"Yeah, "Sam continued, "Puck sort of got all, huffy and then he explained to me that one of his friends was...his exact words I think were 'I've been a douche-bag to this guy and he's the only gay guy at the school and he's really miserable and I'd totally bang him if I were just a little bit more bi but I'm not so I was hoping that you were gay so he could finally get a guy who would touch him in the good way not the douche-bag way', then he told me to never tell anyone and he ran off."

"That's Puck, he never thinks." Lauren sighed.

"I figured out he must have been talking about Kurt as soon as I met him. He asked me to duet with him. I have to tell you Rachel, the way Finn kept nagging at me to break off my agreement with Kurt really annoyed me at the time. I was trying to make it clear to Kurt from the start that I was straight, and not interested in him that way, but even after our first conversation I could tell that he was insanely talented and a really sweet guy. I wish I had stuck to my guns when he told me that he didn't want to sing with me anymore. I think we could have become really good friends from the start if we'd both just trusted each other a little more. Things might have turned out really different for Kurt if he had had a guy willing to support him in those days before Finn woke up."

"I know, "Rachel sighed, "Kurt could have really used a friend. But think about it, if he hadn't felt so alone, he might never have gone to spy on Dalton and..."

"End of the world." Lauren said, "I think on balance, things worked out pretty well in the end."

Mercedes had stopped giggling.  
>"Actually, when you think about it, in his typical 'Puck is a meathead' way, what he tried to do was really quite sweet."<p>

"He's not a great kisser though, "Sam said wryly.

The three girls nodded and looked at each other.

"We know!" They all said.


	69. It's An Ill Wind That Blows No Good

**Hello All – well, it HAS been a while hasn't it? Sorry I've been so bad at updating, but I had a bit of a slump and when I'm in the "down" phase of life, it's just too hard to reach the place this story comes from.  
>(I can fake real life well enough, but this stuff is HARD to do if I'm down)<br>(Angst however, is WAY too easy to reach, so I tend to stop writing altogether when the Black Dog visits.)  
>I would like to take a moment to just thank all the wonderful, generous and caring people who have reviewed this fic andor sent me messages of both support and admiration or thanks. I don't want to sound too melodramatic, but you will probably never know just how important those words have been to me. I save EVERY message, and review. I keep them in a file on my computer AND I even include them in my regular backups of the system (which I keep at another house just in case this one is struck by a falling asteroid or something – like any good paranoid person should). Over the last few weeks I've been reading and re-reading all of them, just to remind myself that even if I may be temporarily unable to like myself very much, there are people who have been touched or bettered in some small way by what I have created/done. That was enough to keep me going.**

**I really don't want this note to turn out as some sort of pity party though, but I do want to just end the maudlin reminiscences by saying that everyone should try to just think before they speak, or before they choose not to speak.**

**Especially online, things can fly out on twitter or in comments pages that can really hurt or wound someone. Similarly, sometimes the off the cuff compliment that you throw someone's way without really thinking about it is the thing that makes that person start to believe that even though they are trapped beneath terrible clouds of rain and sleet, the sun is still there and it will come out one day. Maybe even soon!**

**OK, enough touchy feely blah blah – on with the chapter.  
>It's a bit wordy – and not terribly actiony (is that a word? Probably not) but it does explain a little about what has been happening "off camera" (so to speak) and presages some of what is to come.<br>Be assured, people will probably start shooting or blowing stuff up eventually – the bad guys have been thwarted, but not routed.**

**Anyway – now that my author's note has begun to rival a chapter all of its own – please read, review and be kind to a stranger tomorrow.**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, or any celebrities or New York landmarks and I think I ate the last of the fresh bread this evening so I don't have any of that either – sigh.**_

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* * *

><p>.<p>

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"Well, here we are...again." Rachel said softly, looking around at the gorgeously lit buildings which faced onto the famous fountain. "Remember how close Artie came to winding up in the fountain last time we were singing here?"

"That marble is slippery, "Artie said as Steffi pushed him up the wheelchair ramp.

"Hey, we've been here before!" Puck said as he looked around in the gorgeous twilight.

"Yes Noah, we've been here before." Kurt said patiently, "When we were all here for Nationals, a few weeks ago, we sang while we ran around that fountain. You can remember, surely?"

"Yeah, I remember." Puck said, "You were wearing that weird furry hat thing."

"Oh my Gaga, you do remember!"

"So, where are we then?" Puck said, obviously not having a clue.

"The Lincoln Centre, "Trent said, clutching Flint's hand in excitement, "One of the most sacred places to the Performing Arts."

"There are theatres here?" Puck said, looking around.

Rachel seemed a little perturbed by his ignorance.  
>"The David H. Koch Theatre, home of the New York City Ballet; Avery Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic and The Metropolitan Opera, home of..."<p>

"Barnum and Bailey's Circus?" Puck teased. "So, where are we meant to be meeting Julie and Bernadette?"

"South Plaza" Carole said, checking her map, "That way."  
>She pointed to the left.<p>

Burt and Carole were dressed impeccably in the finest couture wear. Even Kurt couldn't fault the fit, not after Carole had worked a little magic on the already well made clothes they had had delivered to the hotel from Niemen Marcus.

The only other adults who had accompanied the combined choirs were Will and Emma, Paul and Trish and the Berry's.  
>All the kids were dressed in various levels of fashion, from simple but elegant (Sam and Puck) to almost mind-numbingly gorgeous (Santana and Kurt).<br>Blaine had opted for an exquisite Armani tuxedo in basic black, with a black bow tie, of course.  
>His waistcoat, however, which was barely visible, was made of the same material as Kurt's suit jacket.<p>

Kurt was wearing a design of his own that he had made that afternoon, with help from Quinn and Carole.

The silvery material was a fine spider-silk, woven with cashmere to make a strong but supple fabric. Printed into it was a pattern lifted from dragonfly wings. Cells of red, bronze and brown swept across the entire silvery-grey surface, especially the cuffs and lapels, shimmering as Kurt moved.  
>The outfit should have looked ridiculously over the top, but Kurt had paired the jacket with the plainest of plain cut tuxedo pants and extremely simple, classically designed leather shoes. He wore a simple black button up dress shirt underneath it, no tie, and despite his misgivings, had been convinced to leave off any of his enormous collection of brooches.<br>In fact, Kurt was wearing no jewellery at all, apart from his ring, which he had willed into visibility.

Instead, Kurt had persuaded Blaine to wear one of his pins, so, in addition to the occasional flash of matching colour when Blaine's movement revealed the edges of his waistcoat, on his lapel, where a boutonnière would usually appear, there lay a glittering dragonfly brooch so skilfully made that it almost seemed as if a living dragonfly had momentarily decided to rest next to his heart.

Blaine and Kurt were dressed as a power couple, of that there was no doubt.

"So what is this thing again?" Puck asked, still having not bothered to find out.

"It's a fundraiser for arts in education, "Lauren said to him as she rolled her eyes fondly, "Julie Taymor and Bernadette Peters have been organising it for months. That's how they managed to wangle us a whole heap of tickets at the last minute."

"But if it's a fundraiser..."Sam said nervously.

"We already made a substantial donation, "Blaine said smiling, "Don't sweat it. We aren't taking up spaces that might be sold to paying guests."

"Well, technically we are, "Kurt said dryly, "Since we're guests, and we paid."

"So we're gonna get food and drinks given to us while someone lectures us about Education?" Puck said, "I'm in, free food!"

"Will there be entertainment?" Paul Karofsky asked.

"Apparently they have been auctioning off performance slots, "Rachel sighed, "Although some have been reserved for some special performances from various schools and colleges from around the country. The whole event is basically like a concentrated version of Idol. This would be an amazing event to enter. I think we're too late to try for spots for ourselves though."

"No you're not Rachel, "Said a very familiar voice, "Bernie, Julie and I made sure we reserved a whole slew of spots for you guys."

Patti LuPone walked up to them, resplendent in a sparkling black evening gown.

"Hi guys!" She smiled at them all, "Hi Tina, how's my grandmother's jewellery going so far?"

Tina smiled back at her and raised her silver arm, which she had incorporated into the look of her one sleeved evening gown so that it looked like a brilliantly clever design element.

"Ooh, nice." Patti grinned.

"It's wonderful that you reserved some singing spots for us, "Blaine said earnestly, "But although I'm sure we'd all love a chance to perform, we should pay for our spots like everyone else. Kurt and I can..."

"No need, "Julie Taymor said as she hurried over to greet her favourite group of young people, "It's all been taken care of already. Someone paid for you guys as a way to guarantee that at least some of the music we hear tonight will be first class."

"Who?" Rachel asked.

"We did." Came an even more familiar voice, "I wanted to get a chance to hear you live for a change, and Donald wanted to do a favour for an old, old friend."

They looked over to the first of the white marquees set up in the plaza in front of the Guggenheim Band Shell and gasped.

Donald Trump was smiling at them.  
>"I owe Tubbington from way back, "He said, "It's good to finally get a chance to start paying the sly old...fox, back for his advice and friendship over the years."<p>

The way Donald had hesitated before he said the word fox, combined with the strange twinkle in his eye led Kurt and Blaine to suspect that it was no lucky coincidence that staying at the Trump Tower had been so pleasant and supportive.  
>Blaine felt Kurt reach for his hand in apprehension at the sight of the famous billionaire smiling at them.<br>It was the woman who was standing next to him that made them gasp though.

"Hello Rachel, "She said, coming forward to embrace her, "It's so nice to finally be able to hug you."

Rachel blinked, then seemed to find inner strength from somewhere as she leant into the embrace and just...smiled.

Hiram and Leroy had started tearing up again.

"It's an honour to meet you in person, Ms Streisand."

"Please, Rachel, we share a nose. Call me Barbra!"

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><p>.<p>

.

It was barely twenty four hours after most of Manhattan had been shot to pieces by several hundred armed terrorists and almost every restaurant, bar, theatre and nightclub was...open for business.

Nothing was going to push the people of this city around.

Most of the adults travelling with the choirs from Lima had decided not to go to the fundraiser at the Lincoln Centre, but had instead opted for a night out on the town.  
>For many of them, this was the last night they would be in the city, most of them had jobs or other commitments which had already been put on hold for longer than they had planned.<p>

Many of the Dalton parents hadn't made it to the city at all, being out of the country when their sons had called them.

Burt had promised to 'bamph' all those who had to return home back to their houses in the morning, so for most of them, this was one last chance to enjoy the city lights.

John and Elaine Anderson were enjoying a late supper with Coach Bieste and Dr Lopez after seeing a very impressive revival of Godspell.

As they chatted about the wonderful music over a glass of red wine and some fresh rolls, they heard a couple of familiar voices approaching their table.

"Wow, this is lucky!" Pete said as he escorted a radiant Judy Fabray across the floor of the restaurant.

"Pete, Judy!" Elaine exclaimed, "Have you popped in for some late night refreshment too? Please, join us!"

"But you must have ordered already." Judy Fabray smiled at them.

"No, we only just got seated ourselves, "Shannon Bieste said grinning broadly at them, "The waitress said she'd be back in a second with...oh, here she is now."

A rather harassed looking, but pretty, red-haired girl came up to their table and smiled back at Coach Bieste.

"Oh, you have more people joining you? Let me grab you a couple of chairs and add a table to yours so there's plenty of room."

She tried to juggle the menus she was carrying and grab a chair from nearby at the same time, but failed and one of the menus popped up out of her grasp and... straight into the hands of Pete.

"Whoa, that was lucky!" The girl said with a grin.

"Which table were you planning on grabbing for us pumpkin?"

Shannon Bieste was standing beside the two closest tables.

"The one on the left I think, "The young girl said placing the menus before the others, "But let me get some help to..."

"Honey, look at me, "Shannon said simply, "I could bench press this entire restaurant and not even break a sweat. I'll move it for ya."  
>With that she lifted the table as if it was made of cardboard and delicately placed it beside the others.<br>Judy began tidying the cutlery while Pete and Shannon grabbed the chairs.

"I'm so glad I ran into you tonight John, "Pete said as he sat beside the man, "I was trying to think of who could help me out with a little problem that's come up and then walking in here and seeing you, it clicked."

"Wow, that was lucky!" Elaine said sardonically.

Pete laughed and nodded.  
>"At least I finally know who to thank for the way my life has turned around. That boy of yours, and his hubby-to-be, they really know how to make a wish don't they?"<p>

"Pete, please, you have a whole lot of responsibility for the way your life has improved too." Judy Fabray said with mock severity, "The boys may have blessed you with supernatural good fortune, but you're the one who has made sure that you spread that blessing to as many people as you can."

The waitress, Rosie, came back with some water and a bread basket for the additions to the table and menus for all of them.

"Hi guys, it's me again. Sorry to have taken so long, but we're a little short of staff tonight, and it has been amazingly busy on top of everything. It seems all of New York has decided to spit in the eye of anyone who's trying to scare the city and they all decided to eat here. Now the rush has ended we should be back to normal though. It's really lucky you guys came in when you did and not ten minutes ago, because there wouldn't have been a table free to move to here."

Pete and the others laughed softly and shared a significant grin.

"Here are the menus I promised you about forty years ago, "Rosie continued with a wry smile, "Although I feel I should steer you towards the special we just put up. The restaurant next door just had one of their fridges break down, so they've sold us some of the contents they couldn't fit into the others they have. Our chef just bought a whole tray of fresh Atlantic salmon and he's decided to try out a recipe his grandfather used to use in his restaurant. It's poached in a very light olive oil until it's just barely set, then served on a bed of braised soy beans and topped with a really fine julienne of vegetables that are blanched, but not actually cooked. He's made a lemon oil and a chilli and tomato sauce to go with it that'll knock your tastebuds into next week."

John, Judy and Doctor Lopez all agreed that sounded perfect.

"I'm not a huge fan of fish I'm afraid, "Pete said, "But this flank steak thing here looks amazing."

"The one with the mushrooms?" Elaine said, "I was torn between that and the mushroom risotto. I guess I'm in the mood for earthy tonight."

"What about you Shannon?" Dr Lopez asked as Coach Bieste continued to look over the menu.

"I'm stuck, "She answered softly, "I don't eat out at restaurants that often. I'm usually a takeout girl."

Theresa Lopez narrowed her eyes a little at something in Shannon's demeanour. After a few seconds she had a realisation and nodded to herself.

"Rosie, "She asked the waitress quietly, "Shannon here is an athlete, and she's going to need a pretty substantial serving to keep her diet up to her requirements. What would you recommend that would satisfy her, but not make her embarrassed?

Rosie flicked a glance at the large figure who was starting to blush as she heard the question.

"Well, I should have thought of that myself!" Rosie said brightly, "My brother is a linebacker in his college team and he's always struggling to find enough food to stop him from feeling faint when he goes to fancy places like this. "

"What college does he play for?" Shannon asked, "I'm a football coach at my local high school so I love talking shop."

"Notre Dame, "Rosie smiled, "You're the coach? Oh that is so cool. I always wanted to play football like my brother, but the school wouldn't let me even try out for the kicker's role. Their loss though. I'm learning to love playing soccer now. I'm the striker for the women's team at NYU. "

"A good kicker is almost as important as a good quarterback." Shannon said nodding, "I've been working hard at bringing my team up to scratch, but I still can't find a decent kicker. Well, I actually know who I want, but he's not an easy nut to crack. Maybe I should think about opening the position up to some of the girls? We already played half a championship game with four girls on the team, and one of them made a better linebacker than most of my boys do. Anyway, I think I know how your brother must feel. All this food sounds so amazing, but I know that unless I order about four portions I'll just be hungry, but if I order that much for myself, I will feel just plain embarrassed. It's hard enough walking around looking like the She-Hulk, but when I have to get my dinner served in a bucket..."

"I think you look pretty, "Rosie said, "And I wish I was as big as you. Nobody take me seriously as an athlete when I look like Taylor Swift could probably take me in a fight."

"That's real sweet of you to say that, "Shannon said, "But you sound like you love being striker for the soccer team, and you'd never be able to turn or run fast enough if you had my knees. Anyway, what could you suggest that might help me not have everyone stare at the freak while I try to enjoy my night out?"

The girl thought for a few seconds.

"Was there anything on the menu you liked the sound of...um..."

"Call me Shannon sweetie." Coach Bieste said, "Well, that salmon thing sounded delicious, but I don't know if we could fit more than another couple of plates on..."

"Would three or four portions be enough for you?" Rosie asked, "That's what my brother usually orders when he visits me here."

"Sounds lovely, but can we fit..."

"Leave it to me, "Rosie said smiling, "I'll be back in a second with some more drinks for you."

As she left, Shannon turned to Dr Lopez and smiled at her gratefully.

"I don't tend to go out to fancy places much, "She admitted sheepishly, "It just doesn't feel the same when you need an extra table to hold your food. "

"Well, you're among friends now, "Judy Fabray said gently, "And if anyone tries to make you feel self conscious, they'll learn just where Quinn learned her HBIC tricks from."

John Anderson turned to Pete and raised one eyebrow.

"Now Pete, you said you had a problem I might be able to help with..."

"Oh yes! Don't worry too much, it's nothing disastrous, in fact, in many ways it's an embarrassment of riches rather than a problem, I just need some advice, and maybe a name or two."

"Pete honey, you're confusing the poor man." Judy Fabray said as she slapped his arm playfully, "Start from the beginning."

"Oh, sorry John, lucky this lovely lady is here to keep me focused isn't it. Well, ok...the beginning. After Kurt and Blaine met me and rescued my cat, my life started to improve dramatically, one might almost say, magically..."

Dr Lopez and Coach Bieste both sniggered at that.

"...anyway, I've been employed as the head of an organisation helping the homeless stay safe, and get back on their feet eventually. It was set up, it turns out, by Sue Sylvester of all people. We're still in the early days of getting running, but we've already got a great network of businesses, local communities and volunteers set up around Lima, and we're already helping a lot of local kids."

"I heard about this, " Dr Lopez said nodding, "One of the doctors at my clinic has been volunteering one day a week to go out and make free house calls on kids who are too poor or too scared to come see a doctor. The rest of us would love to do that too, but we've all been so busy, so instead we've been donating some of our salaries to a fund to cover his extra insurance bills and the cost of any medicines he prescribes."

Pete smiled at her.  
>"That's the sort of help we always need Theresa. Not everyone can spare time and not everyone can spare money, but giving whatever you can spare is the secret to making the world a better place."<p>

"So, back to your story Pete?" John said smiling in agreement.

"Oh, yeah...well, as you might know, I used to be a pretty successful corporate businessman before I screwed my life up. So I've been using my old skills at networking and strategic planning to set up the organisation in a way that plans for growth and sets up clear goals and aspirations."

"Does this organisation have a name yet?" Shannon asked, "And could you talk to me sometime about how me and some of my fellow coaches can help? Sport is a great way to rebuild a low self esteem, and to learn about team building and trusting others."

Pete grinned and nodded vigorously.

"It didn't have a name when Eddie, the cop who got me involved, mentioned it to me, but I've named it since then. I hope no one tells the boys until I've had a chance to, but I've called it, The Klaine Street Project, or KSP for short, in honour of the boys who saved me."

John and Elaine both smiled and their eyes glistened with a tear or two at the sentiment.

"Well, Sue set us up with quite a respectable funding base, and we've managed to get a lot more support from local businesses than even I had hoped for in my wildest dreams, enough to let me start planning out the construction of some new, youth friendly shelters for the street kids. But national rollout has always been a long, long way off in the projections, until now."

"What happened?" John asked.

"Oh, this is going to kill you, "Pete said, stifling a chortle, "A new church group has moved to Lima in the last few days, and their goals are to help others in the community without preaching or proselytising. They say they want to help people find their own way to God by demonstrating how loving and accepting he is of all people."

"This is a church group?" Elaine asked, "How tolerant are they, really?"

Pete nodded.  
>"Eddie says they check out and seem pretty serious about it. They moved to Lima, they say, because of all the miracles that have been reported in the media recently. They said that it was a sign from God that Lima would be where the new world would be born. As for acceptance, they have already been receiving new members, and Eddie says that one of their new members is a drag queen from the local gay bar, who turned up to their meeting in full drag to try to shock them and wound up joining the church. The leaders say they were inspired by an angel to learn the ways of tolerance and love. They don't want to lead anyone or tell anyone what to do or how to worship, so they have just been supplying volunteers and money to the KSP"<p>

"It almost sounds like my son and son in-law have been meddling again, "Elaine said with a wry grin.

Judy giggled and shook her head.

"What?" Elaine asked.

"It gets better." Was all she said.

"Well, it turns out, that most of the core members of the new church are former members of...the Westborough Baptist Church. Sometime in the last few days those bastards had a major schism, and the bulk of their members have left and formed this new church which is almost one hundred and eighty degrees different in philosophy and activity. The only thing they have retained from their old church is the money they accumulated over the years. You know that they were infamous for suing people who tried to stop their disgusting protests? That's how they made their money. Now they've decided to use that money to fund project like ours and do some good in the world instead of just shouting about hatred."

"So the angel from God who gave them this divine inspiration and founded a whole new religious movement is my left field defensive tackle?" Shannon asked.

"Well, Dave does have a heavenly body." Dr Lopez said dryly.

"I think it might have been the way Kurt cursed them to suffer the immediate consequences of whatever they believed was literal in the bible and then teleported them all back to their hometown in a gust of wind and fire. When you have two angels with shining wings, one with a huge flaming sword, telling you to learn about love; stones falling on you from a clear sky and then suddenly a burning tornado whisks you off the streets of New York and back to Westborough in only a few seconds, even the dumbest dumb-ass might find it a little hard to ignore the fact that something unusual was going on." Judy was grinning.

"Ok, so ..." John began.

"Hi guys, I have your orders here!" Rosie said as she led a couple of other waiters over to their table.

She placed another large basket of fresh bread rolls down in front of them with a wink and then proceeded to clear some space on the table in front of Shannon Bieste.

"I thought it might be nice, since so many of you are trying the salmon, to serve it on a platter and let you serve yourselves from that." She said, winking at Shannon again. "That way you can all share the experience."

She placed the large plate down then set out some empty plates for people to eat from.  
>The platter was loaded with several salmon fillets, all nestling on a bed of spicy beans and with the two sauces served in small bowls on the side.<p>

"Just make sure to dot the sauces sparingly, they pack a bit of a punch." Rosie said smiling again as she delivered everyone else's meals.

Shannon mouthed a heartfelt thankyou as Rosie swept away.

"That girl is seriously good people." Dr Lopez murmured.

"Back to your problem Pete." John said, "How much money are we talking here? "

"It's in the millions." Pete said. "I know, I was shocked they had that much too."

"So what do you need my help with?"

"Well, "Pete said, "I'm ok with broad planning and strategy and all, but I'm not a trained or qualified accountant. Plus, I'm good with the people side of things, but one of our projects is the new shelters we're about to start planning and building, and I'm just not hands-on enough to feel competent to manage that particular baby."

"So you need me?"

"I was hoping you'd do the job John, or maybe be able to use your contacts to find someone. I know you're a top-notch accountant who works with a lot of big companies, and I'm sort of in a bind here. We need to get things moving fast if we want to have the new buildings up and ready for the street folk before winter starts to bite, and I need someone who can handle the financials at least. We'll probably have to put out some adverts and feelers to help find a building project manager though. I know you're not experienced in that side of things. Ideally I'd have liked to combine the roles, have one man or woman run the whole show, but people with that sort of skill-set and experience are hard to find, especially since we need to find someone who can start in the next couple of weeks. The few Eddie knew of are already comfortably employed and extremely busy."

John and Elaine Anderson looked at each other and smiled.

"Pete, "John began, "I think you might have just gotten lucky. I happen to know someone who is perfect for your requirements..."

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Rachel, honey, you need to let the others read the rules too Princess. How about you give the sheet to Quinn and come with us. I think I can smell cookies."

Hiram Berry handed the sheet of paper over to Quinn and led his muttering daughter over to one of the marquees.

"Is she always...?" Nick began to ask.

"She gets stressed out really easily, "Quinn said gently, "I think the thought of singing live in front of Barbara Streisand has gotten to her. That's why she's begun obsessing over the rules of the evening."

"Are they actually that complicated?" Trent asked.

"Quinn scanned the page." I don't think so. Blaine, could you have a quick look? Your mind is more able to see all the permutations than ours."

Blaine scanned the double-sided sheet ad grinned.  
>"It's all pretty simple. They have a panel of five judges. Each judge, plus five celebrity guests has been asked to provide an 'inspiration' for a song. It could be a line from a poem, a picture, a special keyword, anything really. When the inspiration is announced, all those with entry tokens have the chance to offer up a song. It can be any genre, using any number of performers, but only three entries per 'offer' are accepted. If someone gets in first with a particular song, that song is unavailable for the rest of the competitors, and can't be performed again tonight. Each entry is judged by the panel for how well it matches the theme, how well it is performed and also how well the crowd receives it. When all ten rounds are complete, the judges will invite the three performers, or teams, they feel have done the best and give them one last offering. The team that wins that, gets declared the winners."<p>

"What are we going to win?" Santana asked, smirking.

"We don't know if we're going to win, "Blaine said seriously, "I'm sure there are a lot of excellent performers here tonight. And there are no prizes. Just the satisfaction of winning, and I think maybe a plaque?"

"How many tokens have we got? "Tina asked. "Ten rounds of three entries, that's thirty slots. We have...?"

"Mr Trump and Ms Streisand managed to snag us six entries." Artie said, smiling, "That's not the most any one group has apparently, but it's still pretty damn amazing considering how late they must have started buying them."

"Would you seriously try saying no to either of those people? Let alone both of them?" Mercedes grinned.

"How should we do this then?" Beau asked, "I mean, there's a hell of a lot of us isn't there? How do we decide who sings and who sits this one out?"

"Maybe we should let the New Directions handle this?" David said, "I mean, we wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for them."

"No!" Rachel's voice was soft but firm as she rejoined their council of war. "You guys have just as much right to sing as we do. I say we should divide the entries down the middle. That's three for each choir."

"Who are you and what have you done with our Control-Freak Hobbit?" Santana said in shock, but she smiled to let Rachel know she was only teasing her.

"I disagree Rachel, "Wes said, "I think we've proven since the concert that our two groups really complement each other. When we perform together, we really help each other sound so much better."

"So we're back to square one."Finn sighed.

"Why don't we just see who has the best idea when they tell us what the idea is and then we will have an idea of what best to sing about the idea and then we choose the people who can sing that idea the best?"

Everyone stared at Brittany for a second.

"Your girlfriend is a freaking genius Lopez. A genuine genius."Steffi grinned as Santana rolled her eyes and smiled proudly.

"But will we have time to talk about things? I mean, we'll need to get in quick if we want to actually use our tickets, won't we?" Finn said.

"They only sold thirty." Blaine said, "So if we're slow off the mark, all that means is that we'll be competing against ourselves in the round no one wants to sing in."

"Only thirty sold? How much do the slots cost each then?' Puck asked.

"Let's not ask that question honey." Lauren said smiling, "We might get scared by the answer."

"I think I can solve our timing issues." Tina said brightly, "Remember, Telepath here? I can link us together for a few seconds and it's the same as if we've spent five or so minutes in conversation."

"Great! "Blaine said, "So we'll see who has a great suggestion for a particular round and then see who might be best at singing it. Tina can link us to teach us any songs we don't know if we need to perform them. Since we won't be able to compete in every round, it shouldn't be too hard to get at least one entry in the six we can go for. If we do double up, we can just treat that as a chance to have two bites at the same cherry! If we do make it to the finals, then we'd be given the final impetus as a group, but we could choose any number of us to actually perform it. I'm remembering similar events from previous years now, and they even had some groups who invited members from the teams that didn't make it up to perform with them. It's really a great format for bringing artists together."

"Speaking of together, "Santana said frowning, "Where is your other half Blaine? Has Lady Hummel had a wardrobe malfunction?"

"Kurt spotted a friend we met earlier today and went to say hello." Blaine said, making eye contact with Dave and Jeff. "Oh, that reminds me! Rachel, Finn, I probably should tell you who we're almost certain to run into here tonight."

"Jesse St James?" Finn said flatly, slipping a supportive arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"Um...yeah! Did Kurt tell you earlier?"

"No, "said Santana coldly, "he's over there shouting at Kurt and some cute black girl."

"Oh dear, I hope he'll be alright." Dave said with a worried look across the plaza.

"Kurt's tough Bird, "Jeff smiled, "He won't let a douche like St James get to him."

"Actually, Snuffy, it was Jess St Sucks I was worried about." Dave said softly.


	70. Cat Out Of The Bag

**Ok, hello all – thanks for all the great reviews and messages etc – my hearts is overfilled with luff (as my little sister used to say)  
>(it is possible she may be a Timelord too, who knows)<strong>

**This chapter is obviously only part of a larger whole, but this is the bit that was ready and I felt I owed it to people to at least put SOMETHING out there before the turn of the century.**

**Apologies if I get people's names, ages, political persuasions or general facts wrong – please remember I'm writing this from a LONG way away from the US and it's just not my culture. (also – my spellchecker is up to date people, it's just that people in my country spell words like colour, theatre etc DIFFERENTLY ) (we like to call it 'the correct way', but we might be slightly biased)**

**(I realise that most of you know that, but there was one message that seemed to be really hung up about it)**

**Hope this tides you over till I can get the next bit edited etc – will have to see if the bunnies have finished pooping on it yet.**

**Read, review and sing a song. Look up anything that inspires you on You thing, I did!**

_**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Glee, wish I did, if I did I'd certainly have made Season 4 go a bit differently.**_

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ohio's answer to Myra Breckenridge."

Kurt turned to look at the source of the comment, one brow already arching into a level one 'Diva Glare'.  
>Beside him, Wade...no...Unique, took a small gasp of breath, the tension instantly noticeable in her body.<p>

"Oh hello Jesse, how lovely to see you. Congratulations on your new job by the way. It can't have been easy finding work in a field that normally requires actual educational qualifications."

"You heard about that?" Jesse seemed disappointed, "Well, I suppose news of the appointment of the new director to the country's leading high school show choir would be doing the rounds already."

"America's second placed show choir I believe."

"That's going to change."

"I suspect it will. Oh well, at least not getting to the showcase next time will let your choir have an extra day to sightsee and shop."

"How did you guys manage to squeeze that enormous twelfth place trophy onto the plane?"

"We found we had a whole lot of extra room on the way back since we didn't have you and your ego taking up space."

"Still singing like a girl?"

"No, I sing better than most girls."

"Love the outfit, I didn't know they made Barbie clothes in your size."

"I like it too, and best of all, it's totally washable. Even raw eggs can be cleaned off it with no problems."

"Are you all alone in the big city or did you bring your hag posse? How...how is Rachel? Still dating the epileptic zombie?"

"All of New Directions are here and Finn and his girlfriend are both very happy. Rachel is wonderful. How is...oh...sorry, I forgot. You don't have anyone do you?"

The only sign that Kurt's barb had hit home was a slight tightening around Jesse's eyes, but it was enough.

"Sorry, Jesse, and I mean that by the way. That was a low blow. I know you actually did have feelings for Rachel and I shouldn't have used them to try to hurt you."

"What are you doing here anyway? Don't tell me that McKinley High has actually decided to spend money on their Loser Club?"

"We were in town and some friends thought we might appreciate tickets to this."

Jesse frowned slightly.  
>"How on earth did you get that many tickets at short notice? Vocal Adrenaline's sponsors have had them booked for months."<p>

"We have an 'in' with the organisers."

"Speaking of single, are you still dating the eyebrows or did he realise that if he's supposed to be gay he should try dating an actual guy?"

Kurt just smiled slightly and tilted his head slightly at Jesse.

"Blaine and I are very, very happy." He said with a voice resonant with confidence and contentment.

"I'll give you that, he is a catch." Jesse said with a hint of snark in his voice, "Rich, handsome, well educated, relatively talented in a limited way. I suggest you enjoy him while he's still with you. It can only be a short time before someone with actual sex appeal comes in and takes him away from you."

Kurt simply smiled at Jesse with a trace of pity in his eyes and concentrated on the weight and sensation of the ring around his finger.  
>The raw confidence in Kurt's demeanour finally cowed Jesse.<p>

"So, Kurt, "Jesse said breaking eye contact, "Who is your new friend. Trading up from Lazy-Cedes?"

Jesse finally looked at the dark-skinned girl with the sleek bob, standing beside Kurt.

"Hi I'm Jesse St ...oh my god,"

"I could have sworn it was St James, but if you really want to give yourself a promotion..." Kurt muttered under his breath.

"Wade? Wade Adams? What the...what the hell do you think you are doing? What...how...? What the hell are you wearing?"

Unique quailed a little at the ferocity in Jesse's voice, but a simple touch of Kurt's hand on her arm gave her strength.

"It's vintage Chanel. Do you like it?"She asked with a slight toss of her sleek hair.

"What the actual hell?" Jesse almost shouted, "What are people going to say when they see you...what... how is this going to reflect on Vocal Adrenaline? On me? What if your parents see you walking around here dressed like a freak?"

Wade felt his heart flutter in pain at the cruel words, but Unique was ready with her own brand of sass.

"First, my parents are over there, talking to one of the members of the Carmel High School Board, second, I look damn fine and you are not gonna rain on this diva's parade and third, who do you think bought me this dress?"

"Your parents know? And they're letting you go out in public?"

"My mom and dad love me. It took every single ounce of courage I had to go and talk to them this afternoon after I had talked to Kurt and Dave, but I did it. I took the risk and it paid off. They don't really understand, but they are willing to learn with me, to support and care for me. Sure they are scared about me getting hurt, but they understand that I need to learn how to be who I truly am. I told them everything and after they had stopped crying, my mom called a cab from our hotel and took me straight to Fifth Avenue to buy a fabulous outfit for tonight. And somehow, I don't exactly know how, Kurt was able to get my best wig here in time for my big night. So don't you dare try to push me back down Mister, coz I ain't gonna let no one tell me I am a freak again!"

"Well you're certainly not going to be singing tonight. Not unless you go put some proper clothes on."

"Actually, I will be singing. My mom and dad offered to return to the chairman of the school board the token you had already sent me for tonight's competition, but he said I should keep it. It turns out his sister is now his brother, so he understands better even than me. You said you were impressed by the potential you heard in the tape mom sent you, well just wait till you get a look at the full package."

"And I think that that is the perfect cue to leave on, "Kurt smoothly interrupted, "Come on Unique, I want you to meet my Dad and Step-mom, they're over there. Have a good night Jesse, I'll keep an eye out for you from the stage when I perform."

"You got performance tokens? How? Those things cost a fortune, and they were sold out weeks ago. Even our Alumni only managed to get eight of them."

"Turns out we had some sponsors of our own." Kurt said smiling. "And they had an "in" with the organisers too. I'm quite glad actually. I think it's going to be a lot of fun tonight."

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle the pressure Hummel? This isn't a School Competition crown you know. Are you sure the pressure of performing in front of a crowd of real theatre and music buffs, not to mention industry professionals, isn't going to make you nervous? We wouldn't want that delicate, breathy little voice of yours put under too much strain, would we?"

Unique suppressed a snort of laughter.  
>"Didn't you watch the Fourth of July show from Radio City?"<p>

"No, I didn't." Jesse said blandly, "I was actually going to audition for the emergency places I heard about but I got to the theatre too late, someone had already been given the parts. I knew I shouldn't have stopped to sabotage the car of the friends who told me about it. Anyway, since I wasn't in it I knew it would be terrible, so I took a couple of sleeping pills that night and went to bed early. I had some terrible dreams though. It must have been the fireworks that disturbed me."

Kurt and Unique just stared at the man.

"What?"

"You are some piece of work St James." Kurt said finally.

Jesse was about to respond when his eyes widened and he looked over Kurt's left shoulder.

"Oh my...that's Bernadette Peters." He finally uttered in a voice of shock. "And she's coming this way! I have to give her my photocard."

He began reaching into his jacket for something.

"Ms Peters! Hello, I'm Jesse St James, currently Artistic Director of Vocal Adrenaline, America's leading...one of America's leading high school show choirs. This is an honour ma'am."

Jesse amended his speech a little as he caught the glint in Kurt's eye.

"You want to give me your card don't you?"

"I...uh..."

"Claudette, my assistant will take it for me. She's over there, in the purple chiffon."

"Thank you Ms Peters. I..."

"Don't thank me, I'm used to it, and Rachel tells me you actually do have a lot of talent, so I'm willing to give you a break. Now, Kurt darling, you have to introduce me to your gorgeous friend here, and then I have been ordered to take you back to your friends. Burt has turned up and he's dying to meet you."

"Rachel...Burt...?" Jesse asked in confusion.

"Burt Bacharach, he's a doll and it's nice to catch up with him again. Nice to meet you too Mr James. Come on Kurt, sweetie, times a wasting!"

With that Jesse watched as Bernadette Peters slipped one arm around Kurt Hummel's waist and the other through Wade's arm and walked off laughing with them.

It was going to be, he decided, a very long night.

.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Julie Taymor had finished her welcome speech and was introducing the panel of judges to the crowd, which had to be over two thousand by now. Luckily the plaza was large and well designed and even so large a group was able to see and hear perfectly.

The New Directions and Warblers had been asked to sit in the area reserved for competitors.  
>Burt, Paul, Carole and Trish were seated nearby, sharing a table with Barbra and her husband.<p>

Emma, Will and the Mr Berrys had been asked by the choir members to sit with them after Rachel had overheard Hiram talking to Julie about her idea for a musical using Leroy and Shelby Corcoran in partnership with their lookalike doubles, Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs.

Hiram had been telling Julie about how he and Leroy both missed their days in community theatre and were very tempted by the idea.

Rachel had mentioned it to the others and it was Santana who reminded them how Will Schuester had given up his chance at a Broadway career to help them through the Nationals.

It was Blaine who had been forced to use just a touch of the Speech to persuade them to join the youngsters as potential performers.  
>The clinching argument had been the almost encyclopaedic knowledge of Broadway music that Hiram and Leroy held between them.<br>It outshone even Kurt and Rachel's.

Now everyone was sitting in relative quiet as the procedures for the competition were outlined to the audience and the judging panel was about to be revealed.

"I'm still wondering who the judges might be, "Kurt whispered to Rachel as she sat beside him and Blaine, "I mean, they've managed to get Ryan Seacrest to MC the competition, do you think they might have Simon Cowell too?"

"Oh I hope not, "Rachel whispered, "That man is odious, and so rude."

"Shhh, "Mercedes hissed from behind them, "Ryan's about to introduce the first one."

_**...and now, let me introduce our judging panel. There was a lot of discussion about what order we should announce them in, since all of them are outstanding in their fields and sometimes, things like that can be important. But these people, as well as each being outstanding successes, are also down to earth and practical people, so when someone suggested drawing the names out of a hat...we went for it. So, our first judge for this evening is...**_

"The competition part better not be so drawn out or I will fall asleep." Puck muttered.

"Shh!" Mercedes hissed at him too.

_**...Broadcaster, Journalist and American Icon, Katie Couric...**_

"Oh, I love her!" Leroy Berry said softly, "And look, she's got new hair, it's very smart."

"I love the shoes." Kurt murmured too.

_**...Joseph W Polisi, President of the Governing Council at Julliard...**_

"Oh my God!" Will gasped, echoed by an equally impressed Blaine.

_**...Carmen Tibideaux, Dean of Vocal Performance and Song Interpretation at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts...**_

"Kurt, Kurt, it's her! Oh my goodness, I thought I would have at least another year before I had to sing in front of her."

"Calm down Rachel, "Kurt whispered, "And I can't feel my fingers, please let go or crush more gently."

_**...United States Junior Senator for New York, Kirsten Gillibrand...**_

"I guess Chuck Schumer was stuck in Washington, "Nick muttered, being an incorrigible politics junkie, "I can't see him missing a chance to be applauded otherwise."

_**...and finally, Dean Emeritus of The Actor's Studio at Pace University, James Lipton!**_

The crowd applauded as each of the judges took their seats in the audience and there was a general hubbub of conversation about the panel.

_**...Ok, ok, settle down now folks. We've got a lot of great music to get through so let's get started. Participants, remember the procedures for making an offer and also remember, once you've been accepted you will only have two minutes to get to the stage. The orchestra tonight is made up of members from most of the theatres here in New York and they promise me that they can play, improvise or, and I quote 'Google the crap' out of anything you throw at them, so be inventive! Now, our first inspiration for a song is being offered by...me, actually! And since I get the honour of being the first cab off the rank, I'm going to keep things simple and offer you a single word as your seed...**_

"Tina, are you ready?" Kurt whispered to the girl behind him.

"I'm already on it Kurt."

Everyone could feel Tina's telepathic powers gently touching each member of the group.  
>It felt like a cool, refreshing fog brushing against their minds.<p>

_**...Transport...**_

The telepathic conversation was chaotic and brief, but it was pretty clear that although the group had a great many suggestions for songs about, provoked by or featuring 'Transport', none of them felt truly inspired or driven to perform, so Blaine decided, as the one best able to process the flood of thoughts and feelings swirling around the group, that they should sit this round out.

It was a good choice they decided as they sat and watched others go up and perform.

One couple from a University Glee Club from Nebraska sang a hilarious folksy song about various ways to 'Get My Darling to the Market Today' while other members of their group played various instruments.  
>It was generally suspected that the song was both original and seriously cleaned up for its current audience.<p>

Another mixed group from a private high school in New York sang a cheesy but romantic version of 'Up Up and Away' which had most of the audience swaying in time to the classic pop tune.

The third performer was a soloist from Vocal Adrenaline, a short fair haired boy with a large, but slightly nasal voice who did a polished but less than exciting version of Elton John's 'Rocket Man'.

As the judges made some notes after the first round and discussed things amongst themselves, the audience did likewise.

"Ok, we are in serious trouble here." Rachel began, "These people are good, I mean, really good."

"Honey, remember, you're always a star!" Hiram whispered loudly to his daughter.

"Don't freak out on us Rachel!" Kurt said, taking her hand again, despite the pain he was still feeling from her previous grip on his. "Remember, we have nothing to prove. There are no prizes, no real pressure. We're doing this because we love to sing. We're doing this for the music. So just smile and enjoy it. You know you can do this, you know we can do this."

"Rachel, "Mercedes chimed in from behind her, "Even Barbra knows you can do this. If it all starts getting to you, just remember that Barbra Streisand has told you, to your face, that you are one hell of a singer."

"And I promise I'll try extra hard not to kiss you on stage and ruin it for you this time." Finn said softly, smiling in relief when the joke made his girlfriend laugh.

"Oh, Ryan is back onstage, I guess round two is about to start." Sam said, drawing everyone's attention back to the stage.

_**...you'll agree? Well, we're ready for our second inspiration now, and this one has been provided by one of our judges. Mr James Lipton offers the following visual images as his cue for you to sing, please take a few moments to look at the screen, and think about it, and then make your offers to the runners near your stations...**_

A screen lowered itself from the ceiling above the performing area and a few moments later a series of coloured slides was projected on it.  
>It was images of couples, some young, some old.<br>Some looked about to kiss, others looked as though they were afraid or shy.  
>Some were staring at the other from a distance, others were staring into each other's eyes.<br>There were straight, gay and lesbian couples in the images, mixed ages, races, and nationalities.

Some were smiling, some were crying, but as the images ran together it became obvious to some that there was an underlying theme to the pictures.

Questioning...longing...hope...fear...love...uncer tainty...

It was a difficult prompt.

"So many songs I can think of..." Rachel muttered as she listened to the buzz in her mind.

"There are a million songs about love, "came a thought, Rachel thought it might have been from Finn.

"Maybe a billion?" Wes mentally agreed.

"I have an idea!" Mercedes thought, "What about..."

The group looked at her idea, and almost immediately agreed it was perfect.

"Who should...?" a thought came from Mr Shue.

Before it could even be completed the group had agreed who would sing, the participants had agreed to do so and the harmonies and arrangement of the song was already being shared between them as Wes indicated to the official assigned to their group that they were prepared to sing.

The whole process had taken less than ten seconds.

A few minutes later the offers had been accepted, the staging details worked out and the order of performance randomly assigned.

First up a college group from Rhode Island sang a complex and extremely dramatic version of 'Love is a Many Splendored Thing.'  
>It was a magnificent performance, but...<p>

"They didn't really get the brief, "Trent sighed, "They went for love, but it was the doubt about love, the longing and hoping and worrying about the beginnings of love that Mr Lipton was looking for. I'm sure of that."

"Shh, my love." Flint said gently, "The next performer is about to start."

The second group of singers were from the same group who had offered the funny folk song.  
>They did an excellent performance of 'I think I Love You', originally from The Partridge Family.<p>

"Now they got the talent!" Dave said to Jeff, "Although I'm not sure they got the theme fully."

"I think we've got this round in the bag" Beau whispered to Dave and Jeff from in front of them.

"Well, we've certainly got four of our best singers up there ready to go. I hope they'll be ok, considering they've never even had a chance to rehearse this song individually, let alone as a group harmonising." Wes worried.

"They'll be fine." Tina grinned at him, "They're still linked up a little. They don't need to rehearse. It's in the bag."

The darkened stage was lit by a fierce downwards pointing spotlight.  
>Mercedes stood, strong and impassive in the light, as she looked out over the audience.<p>

The crowd were utterly still as she stared commandingly out into their ranks.

Mercedes drew a breath.

**There's a boy, I know, He's the one I dream of,  
>ooh ooh.<br>Looks into my eyes, takes me to the clouds above,  
>mm mmh.<strong>

The silence of the crowd was intensified by the lack of instrumentation as one by one Santana, Kurt and Rachel joined the song, each in their own spotlight.

James Lipton sat perfectly still, his chin resting on his steepled hands as he smiled ever so faintly.  
>Carmen Tibideaux made eye contact with the President of Julliard and they both nodded slightly to each other and smiled.<p>

Finn, sitting behind the drums on the still fairly dark stage, waited for his cue to add a beat to the music and marvelled at how perfect and close the harmonies were.  
>How perfect Rachel, his brother and his friends were.<p>

Jesse St James, sitting with his sponsors and the group from Vocal Adrenaline, stared at the four singers as his eyes began to tear up a little.

David felt the tension draining from the lithe body sitting beside him.

"In the bag." Wes thought telepathically to him.


	71. Bubblegum Pop

**Hello All! Me again *waves politely*  
>Thought I'd hurl out to you what the bunnies are letting me do – more stuff in the pipeline, but the damn furry fiends are parcelling it all out in dribs and drabs!<strong>

**Might I suggest finding your favourite version of any song I suggest here and letting it play in the background as you read? It might not improve the story but at least it might help keep you awake!  
>The song that makes people cry (you'll know it when you get there) is from an Aussie legend, still going strong after 50+ years in the biz! (and he's OURS! Hands off)<br>Here is the link to the performance I was listening to as I wrote it. (it's from 1990, AGES ago I know)**

**http (:) /w () ww. (/) watch?v=4PPv ( )OhPspEA**

**Just remove the spaces and brackets to find the song. **

**Hope everyone is well and happy, please review and comment or message – I am truly terrible at replying to things, but I might actually get round to things one day, and it does make my heart sing a little too!**

_**DISCLAIMER: Don't own much, or know much, but I know a good set of shoulders when I sees 'em (or even better, when I feels 'em)**_

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* * *

><p>.<p>

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The silence had been almost deafening.

As the four singers on the stage had moved together, then apart again; as they had swapped leads and harmonies; as they had each made their 'signature' moves (Rachel's raised arms, Kurt's shoulder shimmy, Santana's hip sway and Mercedes' 'preach') and each had copied the other and as they had soared through key changes and complex close singing, the audience in the plaza had been utterly still.

When Finn entered the song with a soft but insistent drum beat the audience had felt their heartbeats quickly sync up with the pulsing drive of the music.

When it finished...

The applause really was deafening.

The judging panel sat impassively, trying not to give away their feelings at the performance they had just witnessed, but a close observer would have noted Katie and Kirsten both wiping away a tear, and Carmen Tibideaux was smiling ever so slightly. Only Joseph Polisi and James Lipton seemed unaffected by the emotions stirred by the four singers from New Directions, but that was only because no one could see the three pencils James had broken while trying to write notes that lay on the table in front of him, nor taste the slight tang of blood in Joseph Polisi's mouth where he had accidentally bitten the inside of his cheek in an effort to stop himself from gasping in astonishment.

Suffice to say, the visitors from Ohio had been noticed by everyone.

As the judges conferred before the next round, Jesse St James sat near the members of his choir and listened to everyone around him whispering and asking questions about the four incredible singers they had just seen.

Rachel had looked so beautiful.  
>So at home in the spotlight.<br>So...happy.

The look that had shot between Rachel and Finn as they had returned to their seats had been missed by everyone, except Jesse.

Jesse nodded to himself and blinked away the traitorous tear that tried to form in his left eye.

He wasn't one for a great deal of introspection, but...

She was happy.

That would be enough.

He had no time for a relationship anyway.  
>He had a career to think of, success to achieve, dreams to make come true, stages to conquer.<p>

Love?

He shook his head and tried to come up with a plan his choir could put into practice that would reassert their dominance and make the audience forget all about the other entry from Ohio.

He...

...she was happy.

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><p>.<p>

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The figure in the bed looked so thin, so pale.

"How come he isn't better mummy?" the small blond boy asked in a tired voice. "Everyone else is better."

The woman sat in the chair beside the pale boy's bed and sighed.  
>"I don't know Elliot. Lord Tubbington says he just needs to recover. He was really, really sick baby, and he had a whole lot of other things going on too. He says we just need to keep him safe and quiet and he'll heal himself in no time."<p>

"I wish Daddy was here now," Elliot replied to his mother, "He could make 'Bastian all better, he's a Doctor."

"I know honey, "Billy replied, "He'll be here tomorrow. Blaine and Kurt managed to get us some tickets, somehow, and Daddy's big operation is all finished now, so he can come be here with us."

"Do you think he'll like 'Bastian mummy? He has to like 'Bastian."

Billy wondered why Elliot was so concerned about his father's reaction.

"I'm sure Daddy will love anyone who saved his son." She reassured him, "Why is it so important that your Daddy likes him?"

Elliot looked at her as if she had just asked him something that was so blindingly obvious she should be embarrassed to have needed to ask it.

"Because he's going to be my husband one day mum." The six year old said, "Didn't I tell you that yet?"

Billy looked at the serious expression in her son's eyes.  
>Eyes that had always seemed to know more than a child should.<p>

It was funny, she thought, after all the impossible, magical, crazy things she had seen and heard over the last few days...this was...

She remembered something someone had said, but she could quite...

Billy sighed, and decided not to try to argue with her son.  
>Elliot was a strange child, but he was smart and loving and way too mature and pretty well adjusted and he seemed so certain of himself right now.<p>

Besides, she recalled, Elliot never, ever lied.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

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_**...ok folks, I hope you're all enjoying this evening as much as we are. Right, now it's time for our third trio of songs. The prompt for this round has been supplied by another of our judges, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She has decided to inspire your song choices in the form of a story, which she has pre-recorded for all of us. Please sit back, concentrate and let your minds run freely.**_

The screen was lowered again and the smiling face of the Senator filled it.

_**One of the biggest issues I've had to learn to deal with about this job is the constant need to travel.  
>We spend most of our time as a family in Washington these days, but sometimes I have to travel alone and leave my boys behind. My husband, Jonathan and my eldest son Theo, they cope, but I know they don't like it when I'm so far away. I cope, but I always feel so far away from where I should be. Little Henry misses me too, but not half so much as I miss him. I know what I'm doing is important, and worthwhile, and I know that they support me and they are proud of me. But sometimes I just want to be home. I want to be worried about bake-sales and PTA meetings. I want to be able to have an argument with my husband and not stay awake all night knowing that I can't call him to say that I still love him, even if he is being a stubborn blockhead and is totally in the wrong. I love them, I love my job, and I know that I can do both, but... sometimes it just...well, I hope that this gives you some ideas for a song guys. And I hope that you can find just the right song to express how I am feeling, because to be perfectly honest...I just can't put it into words.<strong>_

No sooner had the wry, slightly sad smile faded from the screen but the telepathic bond snapped into action.

Title after title swam through everyone's minds, but nothing really leapt out until...

"Hang on a second guys, "Artie's thought silenced them, "Puck...you're hiding something. Tell us, please."

Puck closed his eyes as he sat in his seat and squirmed uncomfortably.  
>"I...I know exactly the song but..."<p>

"May I...?"Tina asked telepathically.

Puck allowed her to share the song in his head with the others.

"You have to sing it." Jon said, "It's your song, and you would just...it's your song dude."

"We'll sing backup for you." Beau said, "Me and Trent I think, and maybe Tina and Quinn? I think our voices will give you the best foundation."

"I'd suggest you borrow a guitar from the band and play it, "Blaine added, "Come on Puck."

Puck nodded as Lauren squeezed his hand gently.

.

Once again, chance meant that their entry would be last.

A duo from Alaska sang a very polished but unoriginal version of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Homeward Bound', with Wes giving them a B for originality, but bonus points for getting the brief spot on.

The second performers up were a huge choir from who sang an amazing version of 'All By Myself'.

"Amazing singers, "Rachel gushed, "And so cleverly arranged, but they were really just trying to cram their rehearsed performance into the category weren't they?"

Kurt and Mercedes agreed with her.

"I...do I ever do that?" Rachel asked nervously.

"You can be an absolute pain in the butt sometimes Rachel." Kurt said dryly, "But you are always original. "

"I agree, 'Mercedes said, "We love you Rachel, despite you sometimes being a little full on, but however much we might want to shove a sock into your mouth, you are always worth listening to."

Rachel felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see... nothing.  
>She glanced down and noticed a...hand shape...made from black, glistening hair?<p>

The 'hand' used its 'fingers' to point at her, and then made a thumbs up sign before moving out of sight and shrinking away.

"Thanks Santana." She said softly.

"Damn it Berry, you're going to ruin my rep here!"

Everyone stifled a giggle at the remark.  
>For years Santana had protected her heart by creating her 'Queen of the Bitches' persona, but now there were over thirty people who not only knew how kind and generous she was inside, but loved both her faces equally.<p>

Puck strode onto the stage, carrying the borrowed guitar and stood before the microphone while his backing singers arranged themselves slightly behind him and to the side.

"I screw up a lot, "He said to the crowd, "But I'm learning that it isn't about not screwing things up, it's about making sure the people you love, know how you feel."

The first few notes echoed across the crowd and Puck began to sing into the microphone.  
>His voice was so much gentler than his usual singing, almost...tender...sad.<p>

**Got myself into some trouble tonight  
>Guess I'm just feeling blue<br>It's been so long, since I've seen your face  
>This distance between me and you<strong>

**That voice you showed me's not the one that I know  
>I must be strung out on what I do<br>Don't hang up again  
>There's nothing else I know how to do<strong>

Puck's voice gave out a little on him at this point, and where he was obviously meant to sing, only silent tears ran down his cheeks.  
>Only for a second though, as he caught the melody again and improvised a quickly snatched phrase to keep the song going.<br>To an outside it almost looked as though he had meant to sing it like that.

**...oh I burn for you  
>What am I going to do<br>Burn for you**

Puck continued playing, letting the music fill the plaza while he got his voice back.

Behind him, the others realised how hard he was struggling, and came in with a gentle, wordless harmony under the tune, letting him know they were there.

Puck opened his eyes and looked out into the audience, immediately finding the large form of Lauren.  
>His voice strengthened and evened out, but didn't lose any of the raw emotion that he was feeling.<p>

**I guess it feels that you're always alone  
>And I feel that way too<br>It's so hard to explain to you  
>Please understand what I do<strong>

**I burn for you  
>What am I going to do<br>I burn for you  
>Burn for you<strong>

Lauren was weeping quietly as she sat there, as the song continued, as Puck poured his pain and his fear and his hope into his voice and into the music.

Burt Hummel smiled at the boy from his seat in the darkness and whispered under his breath.  
>"Well done son."<p>

As the final note gently washed over the crowd more than a few people in the plaza turned to their loved ones beside them and just held them close.

Kirsten was weeping openly at the judges table.

So was James Lipton.

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><p>.<p>

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"... forgotten all about it by the time I finally persuaded him to go to bed." Billy said quietly, "I just don't understand...I mean, I'm not worried about...I...what I'm trying to explain is...I wouldn't be upset if Elliot is gay, or bi or...anything really, as long as he is happy. But, how does a kid who is six years old have that sort of self knowledge? And another thing, how can he be so certain that he and Sebastian are destined to be together, as a married couple, one minute, and then the next he's asking me to take him to FAO Schwartz tomorrow so he can buy his 'best friend Sebastian' a teddy bear to 'keep the bad dream away'? It was like I was talking to two different Elliots."

She sighed deeply and blinked away her exhaustion.

"Thanks so much by the way for letting me just vent it all onto you. I just needed someone to talk to about this." She murmured, "I don't want to burden you with my problems, you must have so many things to worry about already, but I just need to talk it all out with a friendly ear, and I can't talk to Fred can I? I mean, not that he's even here yet, but...he's a scientist, a surgeon, neurosurgery, he's a rational, sceptical person and...let's face it, most of the things that I've seen...that have happened to me and Elliot...I lived them and I don't believe half of it. Even if he could believe me, I can't talk to him about any of it anyway, can I? I can't betray your confidences like that."

"If you feel he might need some empirical evidence to convince him of the existence of the world of magic, I could have a word with him I suppose. That would probably convince him to at least keep an open mind to the possibility of the supernatural."

Billy smiled and continued to stroke the soft, sleek fur of the enormous cat who lay, purring, across her legs.

"But aren't you afraid that your secret might...?"

"I think that boat has sailed long ago, "Lord Tubbington interrupted, "So far the media has been kept off our backs by some stroke of good luck, but far too many people know about the existence of Kurt and Blaine, and the rest of us. I suspect it is only a matter of time before we get 'outed' so to speak. If you think for one minute that Mr Hummel and Mr Anderson would be happy for you to deliberately lie to your husband, whether overtly or by omission, I think you underestimate them. They are extremely perceptive and wise young men, and they simply would not countenance such a course of action."

"Well, I think a talking cat might go a long way toward introducing Fred to the idea of magic, "Billy giggled, "And now I'm going to ask a question that has been bugging me for a while. Why is everyone so deferential to Kurt and Blaine? I mean, we have several sets of parents here. We have teachers from their school. We have the reincarnation of the Oracle of Delphi. We have two of the three immortal Faerie Queens, not to mention the former Emperor of the Celestial Court, who happens to be a dragon for heaven's sake, and more than thirty thousand years old. Hell, even you are a being of legend who is millennia old and knows more about magic and history than almost any other creature...anywhere...but everyone seems to revolve around a couple of teenage boys from a dot on the map in Ohio. What gives?"

"Kurt and Blaine are...special."

"I get that, but...how? Why? What makes them so special?"

"I have no idea." Lord Tubbington sighed. "But I'm beginning to realise that no matter how well I think I know the rules of magic, or the way things will go, if either of those two young men is involved, all bets are off. It's as if the love they feel for each other is so strong that it just overwhelms any other consideration a harsh reality might try to throw in their path."

"From what I saw, they aren't even human anymore."

"Oh no Ms Wright, they are some of the most human men I have met. They are just refined, purified. They have confronted their demons and their faults and accepted and understood them. Together, they seem to have balanced the other out until now, all that is left is the very best of themselves. It is a beautiful thing to see."

"I can only wish that Elliot has something like that one day. Do you think he and Sebastian really are going to get together? It's not going to be for quite a few years of course. "

"I think that..."

Before Lord Tubbington could continue with what he was about to say they heard a soft cry from the room where Elliot was sleeping.  
>Rushing in they found the young boy sitting up in bed, his hair messed up from his pillow already and a confused, frightened expression on his face.<p>

"What's wrong baby?" Billy asked gently, her hands smoothing his ruffled hair.

"The bad dream..."

"You had a bad dream?" Billy caressed his back and could feel the shuddering of his small shoulders.

"Bad dream..."

"It's ok baby, the dream is over. You're awake now, it's all gone."

Elliot shook his head and stared at his mother.

"No...the bad dream..."

"You're safe Elliot, you're safe baby. The dream is over, you're awake now."

"No mum!" Elliot shouted, "Not me, Bastian! The bad dream is coming. It wants to eat him all up."

Billy sat in confusion as her son burst into tears.

"I can't...It can't... I need him mummy."

Billy tried to calm her son.

Lord Tubbington turned and ran from the room.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

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Round four was about to begin.

Puck and Lauren were still sitting close together, their hands clasped and their faces still a little red from tears.

By the time the applause had finished Puck was almost back to his normal self, but the air of bravado and cockiness that he usually broadcast had been replaced by a simple, quiet surety.  
>He hadn't had a chance to go and talk to Burt Hummel the way he desperately felt he wanted to, but the look of pride and joy that Burt had shot him from across the aisle was enough for now.<p>

The crowd had been even more vociferous in their praise than the previous round, and Puck had been astonished when James Lipton had stood, tears still wet on his cheeks to offer him a standing ovation.

Kirsten had tried to stand too, but had been sobbing too much to do more than silently offer her thanks for a wonderful interpretation of her prompt.

In the hubbub of conversation the young people from Ohio could hear many of those in the crowd asking each other where the group had come from, and what they might offer up next.

Several people nearby had recognised Kurt and Rachel, at least, from the Fourth of July concert and were busy tweeting their friends or uploading their performances to YouTube.

Finally, the judges were finished discussing things and Ryan Seacrest strode into the spotlight again.

_**Well, I don't know about you, but I'm already blown away by the quality of the performances here tonight. Is everyone ready for some more?**_

The crowd roared its agreement.

_**Great! Our next round has been set up by another specially invited person. She's racing here especially for this event, just to provide us with a prompt. We've been keeping the schedule loose for her so that we could slip her round in anytime she could make it. Now, I was told that there isn't any video or audio to play here, but that I have to just introduce her, and then stay on stage for her prompt. I'm hoping it won't be too scary for me. So let's hear it for our special inspiration, Academy Award winning actress, Halle Berry!**_

The crowd applauded as Halle Berry walked onto the stage in a glistening evening gown.  
>She walked across the stage, waving to the crowd, then took the microphone Ryan offered her and waited for quiet.<p>

_**Is everyone enjoying the night?**_

The crowd shouted their approval of the events so far.

_**Well, I'm so sorry I've been unable to be here tonight, but I'm here for this round at least, before I have to race off to catch a plane to Washington. I have been able to catch some of the performances on the live stream of tonight's event, and I am truly impressed. I hope you can make something of my idea for your inspiration, are you ready guys?**_

The performer's area erupted in shouts of eagerness.  
>Halle walked across to where Ryan was waiting and handed him back the microphone.<p>

As he took it, she grabbed him by the lapels of his suit and pulled him into a hot, steamy kiss.

Several seconds later she released a now blushing Ryan Seacrest, waved to the crowd again and strutted off the stage.

"I know exactly what we should do!" Arties's thought came fast as lightning, "We'll need the whole gang, and I think we should try to do it 'Warbler' style for a change up. Not fully unaccompanied, but maybe just minimal instruments, we can talk to the band about it in the time we get set up, assuming we get chosen of course."

His idea was brilliant, and in a few seconds the parts had been assigned.  
>Rachel had actually demurred accepting a leading role, perhaps having another bout of nerves about singing in front of the people she might be auditioning before for a place at the college of her dreams in less than a year's time. It wasn't until Finn had the perfect idea for the roles they could both play in the song that she even agreed to go on stage at all.<p>

This time New Directions and the Warblers were second in the running order of the accepted offers, and after an energetic, polished but somewhat mechanical performance of 'It's In His Kiss' by Vocal Adrenaline, they took to the stage, Artie singing lead as agreed with David, Flint and a very nervous Mike Chang taking up some of the remaining key roles.

As the surprisingly large group assembled on the stage, the crowd began to murmur as they recognised the name of their group, and some of the faces they had already seen perform.

As Finn and Rachel were placed on two stools which the stage manager had set up in the middle of the downstage apron, the crowd fell silent as the young performers got ready to make some more musical magic.

Artie found a place just off centre of the stage where he could take in the whole audience and he smiled as the spotlight drew the crowds' eyes to him.

**First...we've got to create the mood.  
>Percussion<strong>

Soft tribal drums began from the orchestra, just supporting the vocal percussion being provided by Jon and a few of the other Warblers.

**Strings**

Violins echoed a gentle sound as Kurt, Tina and Mercedes all began a gentle humming way up in their upper registers.

**Winds  
>Words<strong>

The musical instruments and the voice orchestra blended perfectly as some in the crowd giggled slightly as they recognised the song.  
>Artie smiled and began the song proper.<p>

**There you see her  
>Sitting there across the way<br>She don't got a lot to say  
>But there's something about her<strong>

**And you don't know why**  
><strong>but you're dying to try<strong>  
><strong>You wanna Kiss the Girl<strong>

The song built through the verses, as more and more voices joined in.

In the end, people in the audience were singing at the top of their lungs as the performers on stage sang and danced with each other in a chaotic celebration of spontaneous affection.

As the song ended the crowd roared with laughter as Finn moved in for a passionate kiss, only to be stopped by Rachel blowing an enormous bubblegum bubble which popped as their faces came close.

The lights snapped off and the crowd applauded loudly and for a long time.

The group that came on afterwards did an excellent job of 'I Kissed A Girl' but it was apparent that the previous performers had rattled their confidence.

When Ryan announced that the next round would be the last one before a short supper interval, the members of both the New Directions and the Warblers were beginning to really relax and enjoy their night.

"Where did you find that gum?" Mercedes asked a still giggling Rachel, "And how on earth did you think of it? That was a perfect way to end everything."

"I just imagined what would make me the most mortified and embarrassed in real life if it happened to me onstage, then I went with it. I always carry a few sticks of gum in my purse. The voice is a delicate and finely tuned instrument you know, and a dry throat can wreck a performance faster than a whole battery of cell phones going off."

"And to think Rachel, people have accused you of only being able to sing Show tunes!" Tina said, giggling, "Now you have proof that you can sing...Pop!"


	72. The End of Love

**Hi everyone! I hope you're all well and having a great life. **

**Another update from the bunnies – they wanted me to hold off posting it in case they had another bit, but I told them to hop it.**

**Quite introspective this chapter, and a couple of cool songs.  
>Plus, I discovered the bunnies wanted to talk about a whole lot of different characters – whee! (more complexity, oh joy, I hate my bunnies sometimes)<strong>

**Elliot's conversation with his mother is actually lifted from a real life conversation I had with a friend of mine who is Aboriginal (Australian Aboriginal, she traces her people back FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS – try to out pedigree THAT snobs of the world!)**

**(of course, neither of us is six or the other's mother)**

**Here is the song the "funny" group sings. (remove spaces as usual)  
>(check out the original version too, and the amazing jazz version by Madeleine Peyroux!)<strong>

** www .you tube watch?v=Y9s4y9eK -Hg**

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own much, but I know I want to at least have access to some of these boys.**_

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><p>.<p>

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Elliot was finally calm, but everyone else was not.

Billy had been unable to get her son to stop shaking and crying until she had taken him to the room where Sebastian was sleeping and allowed him to see the boy.  
>As she sat in the large armchair beside the bed, cradling her son in her arms she had looked at the slender figure of Sebastian Smythe, still sleeping despite the noise and activity that continued around him.<p>

He looked so pale, so young as he lay helpless in sleep.

Dr Lopez and that husky, shy angel boy had explained how badly weakened Sebastian's body and mind still were, despite the miraculous healing her own son had brought about.  
>The angel...Dave, that was his name, he had been so apologetic about it, until Billy had been forced to use 'parent voice' on the teen to stop him from blaming his inability to help the boy on some sort of imagined failing on his part.<p>

Billy shook her head in wry amusement as she continued to rock Elliot to a calmer state.

If someone had told her just a few days ago that she would be lecturing a linebacker with wings about blaming himself for being unable to fully heal a teenager who had sacrificed his own life to save her son and the rest of the people in New York from a deadly, incurable disease that was being spread by pixie-like creatures made of pure darkness and evil...

Billy tried not to laugh.

No straightjacket in the world would have been too restrictive if she had believed any of that.

She wrapped her arms around her son and listened to his breathing finally evening out.

She hadn't really had much chance to talk with the young man who had saved them all, and she really, really needed to.

After all the magical and strange things she had been exposed to over the last few days, it was still the idea that her son, her little baby, somehow had foreknowledge that he and the young man lying on the bed in front of her would one day be...

She stared at the sleeping form, trying to fit all the pieces into her mind in a way that felt right.

At least he was a looker, she thought. Elliot...the future Elliot, has good taste in underlying bone structure.

"My head hurts mummy, "Elliot said in a quiet voice.

Billy noted that, when he was particularly tired or sad, her son's accent veered slightly more towards her husband's British tones rather than her own mid-western drawl.

"Do you need a glass of water?"

Elliot shook his head.  
>"It's ok mum, Z will bring me one when he gets here with Stacey and Stevie."<p>

Billy thought for a second.  
>Z...that was...<p>

"Azimio mum, the big black guy with the laugh."

Billy nodded as she connected the name to the face.  
>Azimio Adams, friend of Dave and favourite babysitter of those two adorable Evans kids, he was a real teddy bear, and so gentle with the children.<p>

"You mean the African-American..."

"Z told me I should call him black, because he's black." Elliot said reasonably, "I know sometimes it's not polite to call people by the colour they are mum, but if Z says I should I think I should. David does too."

"David? The one with the blond boyfriend? The angel?"

"No mum, that's Dave. David is the black one with the Asian boyfriend, Wes. There are only four black kids here mum, you should be able to tell them apart from the rest of us. Mercedes said I should call her black too, that she was proud of being black. I wish I could be black mum, it's such a pretty colour for skin. Everyone else is boring and pink."

"Oh, I know Mercedes!" Billy was glad she had a handle on at least one name.

"It's going to be so much fun when her new best friend gets here too, they're going to be divalicious together." Elliot paused for a second. "What does divalicious mean mum?"

"Diva...?" Billy was confused again, "Elliot, who are you talking about now?"

"Unique mum, " Elliot said as he yawned widely, "Although her real name is Wade. Well...his name is Wade, but her name is Unique. She gets to be a boy and a girl, and black too. How lucky is that? Sebastian teases her a lot, but they really like each other. She calls him 'Horny Meerkat' and he calls her..."

Another yawn had Elliot snuggling into his mother's chest.

"I didn't know Meerkats had ..."Another huge yawn punctuated his rambling, "I'm sleepy ...Wake me up when the bad dream starts mummy."

Billy sat and continued to rock her son.

"I will bunny, "She murmured, "I will."

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><p>.<p>

.

The judges had conferred for slightly longer than previously, but finally Ryan Seacrest was walking back out onto the stage.

**Hi folks, one last round before we have a break to grab some refreshments and have a really good chance to mingle and network!**

The Warblers and New Directions were feeling much more relaxed now.  
>They had already performed three times, using half their allocated tokens to do so, and the reception from the crowd had been phenomenal to say the least.<p>

"I know this is only meant to be a fun competition, and not as cut-throat as Nationals..."Mercedes said to those around her, "But I think we're kicking some serious ass right about now."

Wes nodded.  
>"Vocal Adrenaline have performed how many times? Once? I thought you said they had eight tokens Kurt."<p>

"That's what Jesse said, "Kurt replied, "Wade told us a little bit about their plan. I guess they haven't had a good opportunity to use their tokens yet. Each of their potential soloists for next year has been rehearsed in a number choreographed by professionals. When they get a prompt that fits one of those, don't be surprised to see two or even three entries from Vocal Adrenaline in a single round. Each of them has also been told to perform a solo as their final audition piece. Wade said that was the one that terrified him. He's not allowed to perform it in the same round he performs his rehearsed number, but no one is telling him what their plans are, so he just has to wait till be performs his group number, then hope that another prompt will offer him something show stopping."

That doesn't sound terribly helpful, "David muttered, "Or healthy."

"What do you expect from the soulless automatons?" Tina snarked.

**Ok, to offer the inspiration for this round, we have a very special guest, joining us via satellite from California, Mr Len Goodman!**

"Oh my God!"Mike exclaimed, "I love Dancing with the Stars."

**Ello all, I'm so honoured to be asked to give the next inspiration for your amazing competition. I wish I could be there with you, but even though I can't I know you'll do me proud. So, this one is both obvious, and I hope, easy. Put on your dancing shoes, slick back your hair and polish those steps, because your prompt is... Dance!**

The telepathic conversation leapt into action as each member of the group began to think over what inspiration they might glean from the words of Mr Goodman.  
>Within a few seconds it was obvious that although there were a few really promising ideas, none of them, not even Brittany felt truly inspired to perform.<p>

Santana tried to push Brittany and Mike into trying out a few of the groups ideas, but Brittany said she 'had a feeling' that it was better to wait.

The group had learned over the last few days to heed any feelings Brittany had, no matter how unsubstantiated they might be.

In short order, it was announced that Vocal Adrenaline would start off with one of their soloists performing an excellent version of Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer'.  
>The boy singing the song was certainly competent, and quite good looking, but his voice lacked passion and the fact that he had obviously rehearsed his 'spontaneous' movements to death was...<p>

They applauded him, but didn't rave.

The second performers came from the group who had done the witty original song in the opening round.

They changed things up totally this time, with two of them taking turns at lead vocals as the rest of their group danced about the stage in ragged and slightly syncopated formation to the delightfully, slightly discordant notes of Leonard Cohen's 'Dance Me to The End of Love'.

"Oh my, that is so beautiful, "Quinn whispered as the songs reached a crescendo and the two lead singers harmonised as they joined in the whirling, swirling mass of bodies on the stage, who were singing their own accompaniment.

"Tana, I want to go dancing tomorrow night, "Brittany said, "I want to go dancing somewhere nice."

"Anything you want babe." Santana whispered back to her.

As Ryan announced the third act Kurt, Blaine and the others all sat up a little straighter as they saw a very nervous s looking Wade walking onto the stage in front of the massed dancers of Vocal Adrenaline.

"I guess this must be one of their rehearsed numbers then." Jeff whispered, "Oh no, look, Unique looks terrified."

"I think that's Wade, "Dave whispered back, "Unique has left the building, the nerves must have gotten to her, or maybe Jesse drove her back under. Snuffy, you have to do something."

"What? I'll try, but I can't just force emotion onto him, it wouldn't be fair to him, or helpful in the long run. He needs a moment to just feel confident and strong, then I can fan that into enough to get him, or rather, her, through the first part of the performance, after that she'll be fine, I know."

Rachel and Kurt, who had been listening to this, took the same action at the same time, in an amusing coincidence, and both stood and whooped a cheer from the crowd.

"Go Unique! You can kill this!"  
>" We love you girl!"<p>

On the stage, the frightened boy startled, then his posture changed as his inner self came back from where she had been hiding.  
>The Diva had arrived.<p>

Seconds later, as Jeff hid his glowing eyes against his boyfriend's muscular chest, she began to sing.

"Oh Sweet Jesus in the manger!" Mercedes gasped, "She's...oh my word!"

Will and Emma sat in shocked amazement as the young boy...girl on the stage took command of the audience as if it were her simple right and... sang.

"Who knew Boogie Shoes could be so..." Mike whispered.

"I know!" Tina answered him.

"That's a dude?"Puck said in shock, "Wow, he's...she's hot!"

"Puckerman?" Lauren growled beside him.

"No, I don't mean..."Puck whispered frantically, "I wasn't trying to make fun of him...her...jeez babe, help me out here, what should I say? You know I'm dumb at this sort of thing."

"Her name is Unique when performing, "Kurt whispered, "And she likes to be identified as a woman."

"Cool, "Puck nodded, "Well anyway, I wasn't trying to be crude about...her, I just thought...she's hot. Not that I was thinking of banging her, coz those days are behind me, seriously, but...if you go to the trouble to look pretty, then it's only polite for a guy to notice isn't it?"

"Puckerman, "Lauren growled, "How you can be so dumb and so sweet at the same time..."

"I just had a thought, "Puck whispered softly, "It must be hell to have so much confusion about your body. I hope you can help her Kurt."

Kurt smiled as Lauren squeezed Puck's arm and smiled too.

He was learning,

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Why is no one answering their phone?" Lord Tubbington growled as he tried another number.

Floating in the air around him were several mobile phones, all trying to call a different number.  
>So far, every number he had tried had gone straight to voicemail.<p>

"Father, give it up, I can only conclude that they have all switched their phones off, which is unlikely, or they are being blocked by something."

"Or they don't want to answer."

Lord Tubbington and the pretty red-haired teenager levelled identical glares at the shaggy haired youth who had spoken.

"Sometimes, Dog, you are so...canine!"Meggle sighed.

"Well, in any event, it seems we are on our own in this." Lord Tubbington sighed, "Who is with the boys?"

"Billy is with them, as well as Mr and Mrs Evans." Meggle replied, "They've brought Stacey and Stevie too. It's easier to protect them all if they are in the same place I thought. Azimio is with them also."

Lord Tubbington nodded.  
>"Well, with him there they will be safe from any purely physical threat at least."<p>

"I've left Beth and Hope with them too." Shelby Corcoran said as she entered the room, "Any word from the kids?"

"No, "Meggle snarled in frustration, "Without them we're seriously low on magic. Dog and I can do a few tricks, and Father is far from helpless."

"What about Azimio?"Shelby asked.

"He could probably handle any physical threat, but if we get more of those Ban-Sidhe we're screwed."

"We could try Pete and Judy."Dog suggested, "Maybe they're not being blocked."

Meggle stared at her boyfriend.  
>"You...you...you big shaggy genius!"<p>

Dog smiled a toothy grin at her.  
>"I did good?"<p>

"Very good. Good Dog."

"Tummy rubs?"

Meggle smirked at him and mouthed the word 'later'.

Lord Tubbington coughed politely.  
>"I've contacted Mrs Fabray, she and the others with her are already on their way back. They were walking, but they are going to attempt to find a taxi, despite how busy the city seems to be this evening."<p>

Shelby rolled her eyes.  
>"I think with Pete there, they won't have too much trouble."<p>

"Even with the return of two Godmothers, we are still seriously underpowered. We need Queen Mabd, or even the Dragon." Meggle sighed.

"Can Roberta get through the block, or one of the phones?"Shelby asked.

"Roberta has already contacted Ben-Davis and Bramley, and they are returning from wherever they were as fast as they can. I didn't ask for details but she did mention something about 'foreign networks'. I suspect our electronic friends may share the same propensity for mischief and interfering that their flesh and blood progenitors do."

"Did she have any luck...?"

"No Ms Corcoran, I'm afraid not. We're down a few wizard types this evening I'm afraid."

"I know where we can find one."

Everyone turned to see Azimio Adams standing in the doorway.  
>He was carrying a tray with glasses and a couple of pitchers of water.<p>

"The kids woke up, they were thirsty."

Everyone continued to stare at him.

"Mr Adams? You mentioned something about bolstering our complement?"

Azimio blinked.

"Father means, you said you knew where we could get some more magic workers."

"Oh, yeah."Azimio smiled, "Someone pass me a phone. I'm pretty sure his show must be almost finished by now."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The food was amazing, the crowd was exquisitely dressed and Kurt and Blaine were positively sparkling.

Rachel Berry was sitting quietly in a corner of the plaza, just taking in the crowd.

Finn had been forced to go find a bathroom after he polished off no less than five of the incredible fruit punch drinks that were available from one of the hospitality tents.  
>Rachel still had about half of her first drink in her hands.<p>

As she sat and looked over the crowd, she sighed and smiled to herself.

This, she thought, this is where she belonged.  
>A group of people who loved art, and music and performing, in a city that was bursting at the seams with energy and creativity.<br>Her dress was beautiful, her boyfriend was being extra attentive and her dads were dancing with each other in designer suits on the south plaza of the Lincoln Centre.

Rachel smiled.

It was strange, she realised, she hadn't had a solo all night so far, although her part in the Whitney Houston song they had opened with was extensive.

Old Rachel would have been livid.  
>Old Rachel would have been hurt, and defensive and up in arms.<p>

Old Rachel, Rachel decided, was a pain in the ass.

"I cannot believe they have been stopping you from singing."

Rachel didn't even blink.

"They haven't stopped me from singing, "She said simply, "I just haven't had a song I felt like singing yet."

"But you are by far the most talented member of that bunch of losers and misfits."

Rachel sighed.

"I'm one of those losers and misfits Jesse." She said softly, "And I hate to admit it, but you are wrong. I'm the most driven, definitely, and the most well trained, but Santana can out-sex me anytime she wants to on any stage, Mercedes has whole genres of music that I just can't sell. Brittany is a better dancer, Quinn is more beautiful and Kurt...Kurt has almost no real training, and he has a range almost three octaves bigger than me, as well as the ability to emote more clearly than I will ever manage."

"Oh my God, they've broken you."

Rachel almost snorted her punch up her nose at that.

"My ego is intact Jesse. I'm just seeing the world clearly now. I'm ONE of the best singers in that group. For the right song, I am the only one who can sing it. I know my strengths and weaknesses now. But you know the best thing Jesse? I know myself. I'm more than my talent. I'm more than just a girl who can sing. My friends have taught me how to be kind, and brave and how to ask for help and how to offer help and how to find the joy in another's success. I haven't fought for the spotlight tonight Jesse, because I don't need it. Tomorrow might be different of course, but for tonight..."

"You'll never make it in this business if you let the little people drag you down to their level Rachel."

Rachel had still not turned to even look at him.

She did so now.

"They're not the ones who are small Jesse." She said simply, "Now, excuse me, I see a friend calling me over and I need to go talk to her before the show starts again."

"Rachel..."

"Goodbye Jesse."

Rachel stood up and walked away from him towards a woman who was beckoning to her.

Jesse turned away, pausing only to glance back suddenly as his brain caught up with...

Barbra Streisand...

He watched as the two women hugged and Barbra dragged Rachel off to meet her husband, and a man who looked a lot like Donald Trump.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I'm serious Kurt, I really don't feel like it tonight."

"But...but I love it when you..."

"Kurt. There will be other nights, there will be other concerts. Hell, wasn't Santana talking about taking us all out to karaoke and dancing tomorrow night?"

Kurt continued to sulk.

"Baby...you know if they come up with something that inspires me, I'll be there. If you want to sing a duet with me, then I'll do it. I'm just saying that I really don't feel any great desire to sing tonight."

"You know I'm not really sulking, don't you?"

"I know."

"I just...I wanted Jesse to see you up there being a star."

"Kurt. You cannot seriously care what Jesse St James thinks about our performances."

"No, but..."

"The man is an ass."

"Do you mean donkey or rear end?"

"Both...sort of."

Kurt sniggered a little.

"Excuse me, could I interrupt?"

It was a pretty, young woman in a plain but well made cocktail gown.

Kurt automatically catalogued her dress and accessories.

"Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson, and this is Kurt."

The young girl flickered between them for a second.

"Husbands?"She asked tentatively, "You seem a little young, but...you sort of look like my dads the way you're standing and...oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me I..."

"Don't worry, "Blaine reassured her, "We've been getting that a lot. We are together, yes."

"But we're not married." Kurt added.

"Hah, only technically." Burt tossed the verbal grenade at them as he and Carole moved past, heading for the food.

"Dad!" Kurt called out after him, "I don't care how healthy you think you are now. You will limit yourself to one, single fried item tonight or I swear every electronic device you own will permanently be playing Gaga from now until the sun explodes."

The young woman tried so hard not to show her laughter.

"So, "Blaine smoothed things over, "You have two dads? Our friend Rachel does too. In fact, those are her dads over there."

He pointed to where the Berrys were dancing with each other and laughing.

"Yes, I do, and I would love to talk to your friend sometime. I bet we have a lot in common."

Kurt returned from chastising his father.

"Oh honey, no, you really don't. That outfit is way too understated to be a Rachel Berry approved look. We had to virtually force her into what she's wearing tonight. I love the girl dearly, but she is to fashion what Mr Magoo is to car racing."

"Which brings me to why I actually came over." The girl smiled. "My name is Anna, and I was actually sent over here by my boss. Well, she will be my boss, once she gets the job. If she gets the job I suppose, but she's a shoe in, trust me. She's here with her boss. They'd both love to talk to you guys, and they asked me if I would come fetch you."

"Are you related to Brittany Pierce by any chance?" Kurt muttered, smiling.

"Oh I love her music!"

"Never mind."

"They're over here. That's her in the blue."

"Blaine! Oh my God, that's Isobel Wright. The fashion designer and writer. I love her. Oh this night cannot get any better. Come on Blaine, I've read she's a total sweetheart."

The woman turned as they approached and smiled widely.

"Kurt isn't it? I remember your name from Ryan's introduction. You are an amazing singer."

"Thankyou Ms Wright. Can I just say this is a huge thrill for me. I'm a bit of a fashion tragic I'm afraid and I've always admired your taste and your design aesthetic."

"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you. Where on earth did you get that jacket? Oh, and I see your...husband...boyfriend... has a waistcoat in the same material. It's exquisite. I simply had to ask. I've never seen anything like it, and my boss, well, she will be my boss once the contracts are all finalised, she wanted to know as well."

"It's actually my own design. I created it, and a friend who is a weaver helped my make the fabric. It's a mixture of cashmere and spi...and silk. Another friend made my brooch, the one Blaine is wearing."

"Well, Anna wanted to know where you got it from. I'm sure she'll be impressed."

"Anna is...Anna is your boss?"Kurt was lost and turned to look at Anna, "But I thought you said that Isobel was yours and...I'm confused."

"They both work for me, "A new voice rang out as a short woman who had been talking to someone nearby turned to join their group. "Now, young man, I want you to justify that outfit. Why on earth would that be considered either formal or fashionable?"

Kurt gasped as he realised who the woman was.  
>Blaine did too, but made sure he sent a reassuring jolt of love into his boyfriend via their telepathic connection.<p>

Kurt smiled at the woman.  
>He inclined his head graciously, not showing any fear or lack of confidence.<p>

"It's formal because of the quality of the fabric as well as the severity of the cut. The pattern is a little on the outré side of formality, but I've kept the look extremely plain apart from that. As to why it's fashionable...well, one, I'm wearing it, and two...people are noticing it, commenting on it, mostly favourably I have noticed."

The woman glared at him for a second or two, and then smiled briefly.

"Excellent answer. I like you. And I like that outfit. Call me Anna."

"Thank you, Ms Wintour."


	73. New York State of Mind

**Hi everyone. Again, I let everyone down by taking so damn long to update. The usual things, mostly illness and the dreaded black dog (it's a Churchill reference, look it up)**

**For those of you who have reviewed or sent messages, especially the people concerned that I may have abandoned this fic, please let me reassure you again, I won't. If I were ever for some reason unable or unwilling to continue this story, I would TELL people. I am a fan of these things too you know, and I am well aware how badly it sucks when a fic you like suddenly stops without actually ending. **

**Reviews are like hugs you can write down. (hint hint)**

**Anyway, back to the mundanities (is that a word?)  
>For those interested in what Kurt's outfit looks like, this is a pic of a jacket that inspired me. (Alexander McQueen of course) Just copy, paste and remove the brackets () and any extraneous spaces that may have crept in to make the link work.<strong>

**h****()****ttp****()****:/ww****()**** .com(/)men/product/alexander_mcqu****()****een/gold_and_ivory_dragonfly_wings_jacquard_blazer /66040? ****()****origin=pla&gclid=COnttOy****()****96LYCFcFipQodd()G8A2Q**

**Have fun, hopefully I won't take quite so long before another update, and be kind to each other.**

**DISCLAIMER: No ownership of Glee here, so sad.**

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

After a while, the fear, the nervousness, the whirl of faces and names, the terror, even the excitement faded and you realised that your shoes were starting to pinch as your ankles swelled and that although the canapés were delicious and tres, tres elegant...you'd kill for a cheeseburger right about now.

"I found a tent that was offering these."

Kurt turned as he heard Dave's familiar growl and his eyes widened as he spotted the tiny little sliders sitting on the plate Dave was holding out to him.

"I was projecting again wasn't I?"

Dave grinned and tried to make an expression of innocent denial.

"Is Blaine still being a Disney prince for the youngsters?"

Kurt looked over to where his boyfriend was currently surrounded by the members of the children's choir that had provided some of the entertainment during the interval.

"Thankfully they're due to go back to their hotel soon. It's already past most of their bedtimes."

Dave offered Kurt a napkin as Kurt polished off the last slider.

"Thanks, Dave. But why are you hanging with me? Where is the blond wonder?"

"He's been nabbed by Anna Wintour, same as you were."

"Has he said yes yet?"

"No, he's still hung up on how he's just some goofy high school kid."

"He should say yes, he'd be great at it."

"Why didn't you say yes Kurt? She asked you the same question didn't she?"

"I really don't have time to do that on top of all the other things I need to get done in the coming year, do I?"

"Jeff might do it if you say you will."

"Do you actually want him to?"

"I think it would be good for his self esteem. He'd really enjoy the travel too, even if it was only on the rare occasion until he finished school. Even if he just tried it out this once it might be fun. We've got a couple of weeks till school starts again."

Kurt smiled knowingly. "You'd also like to be able to say that you're dating an international model, wouldn't you."

"Come on Kurt, be a sport. It's only a few days, a trip to Milan and a bit of walking around in overpriced fancy clothes."

"I will admit that I do find the idea tempting..."

"Plus, you and the Hobbit could take a side trip to Great Granny's castle on the way back."

"I'll think about it overnight. Ms Wintour gave me her card and I promised I'd call her tomorrow with my final decision. I'll see what my dad says, and Carole."

"Looks like we're getting ready for the next half of the evening." Blaine said as he joined them. "Everyone set?"

"Are you going to agree to sing for us tonight Blaine?" Dave asked, "If only to stop Kurt pouting. It's going to give him wrinkles if he doesn't stop it."

"I will if you will." Blaine smiled as Jeff slammed into Dave's back and wrapped his arms tight around his boyfriend's chest.

Dave barely moved a millimetre.

"You heard me coming didn't you?" Jeff sighed as he nuzzled his nose into the soft hair behind Dave's right ear.

"I always know where you are Snuffy." Dave said, blushing as his boyfriend did extremely delicious things to his neck. "You're part of me."

"Mmmm, later." Jeff murmured, causing Dave to blush even more and Blaine and Kurt had to stifle giggles of their own.

"What?" Jeff looked at them with innocent puppy eyes, "I just want to give my boyfriend some flowers."

"Oh how sweet." Patricia said as she and Dave's dad met them just before everyone took their seats again.

Paul smirked and mouthed the words 'purple roses' to her.

Patricia laughed out loud.  
>Dave blushed even brighter than before and ran off to his seat.<p>

Jeff , Blaine and Kurt all checked out Dave's ass as he hurried off.

"By the way Kurt, I never thanked you yet for picking out that suit for Dave. It is really...flattering to him."

"I use the same philosophy in fashion as I do in cooking, "Kurt said airily as he and Blaine followed Jeff to their seats. "Start with the best ingredients, and try to enhance them as simply as possible."

"What are you guys talking about?" Rachel asked as they rejoined her.

"Food."Blaine said blankly. "The importance of knowing the right way to handle a prime cut of beef."

Rachel couldn't quite work out why that made Jeff snort so loudly.

But then, she was vegan after all.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The streets of New York City were crowded and bustling.  
>Taxis honked and swerved to and from the pavements as the rest of the traffic buzzed madly about the city's heart like a swarm of demented bees.<p>

Pete, Judy and the Andersons were hurrying back to the hotel after they had received the urgent message from Lord Tubbington.

They had been leisurely walking back from the restaurant so as to enjoy the balmy evening and to allow their meals to settle.  
>All that had changed when they answered the phone.<p>

Dr Lopez and Coach Bieste had volunteered to try to physically get to the Lincoln Centre to find out what was blocking the calls to the kids there, Dr Lopez because she felt she had nothing to offer the defences at Trump Tower in the way of magical ability, and Coach Bieste because someone had to protect Dr Lopez.

"Besides, Z is at least as strong as I am. You're unlikely to need two huge hunks of ugly muscle getting in the way, are ya?"

Pete had managed to hail two taxis in succession, a feat which had astonished the doorman of the building he had done it in front of.

"I guess Lady Luck is smiling on me tonight."He had offered the man with a wry grin.

Now Pete and Judy were in a taxi with John and Elaine Anderson as they made their way the several blocks back to the hotel.

"Traffic's pretty bad, "Their driver said as he dodged a careless motorcyclist, "But so far the lights seem to be in our favour."

Pete smiled from where he sat in the front beside the driver.

A few seconds later Elaine Anderson spoke in a soft voice.

"Ok, I'm no Kurt, or Grandpa Pang, but I've done my best to Glamour the driver. He won't notice anything about our conversation so long as we speak in normal, conversational tones and not too loudly."

"Well done honey." John squeezed his wife's hand.

"With most of the magic off with the boys, what do we have between the four of us?" Judy Fabray asked, "I mean, we all know about Mr Lucky here, but what other abilities do we have? We're going to be all they have in the way of magic until Therese and Shannon get to the kids."

"Nothing earth shattering I'm afraid, "Elaine answered, "I have some basic Glamour, enough to protect this conversation or be the world's greatest close-up magician, but I'm not in Kurt's league."

"A well placed or well timed illusion can be just as effective." John countered his wife's self deprecation.

"My other gifts are pretty useless here though. I can make someone feel more confident, or calm a troubled mind. Oh, and if anyone needs to find something that's lost, I can do that too. I wasn't exactly thinking about the need for saving the world on a regular basis when we made our wishes."

Judy smiled reassuringly at her.

"I can read someone's emotional state," John said, "After hurting Blaine so much with how I responded when he came out to us, I wanted to make sure I would never be so oblivious or self absorbed again."

"You're a good dad, "Judy murmured. "Time to cut yourself a little slack I think."

John smiled at her. "I can also create a protective shield around someone I need to protect, and...this one is a little embarrassing, but it does have precedent in literature, I can conjure small amounts of money. Nothing really amazing, but I always have enough to cover the unexpected. I think the money may actually come from Blaine and Kurt's accounts. That's where Great-Gran used to get it from. That's actually what the original fund was set up for."

"Ok, "Pete said, "Well, apart from me being extra lucky, I wished for the ability to be in the right place at the right time whenever I am needed, the ability to sense when someone was injured or ill and the power to make people share a little of my luck."

"I can heal, a little, "Judy offered, "I was so scared when Steffi was in the hospital it was the first thing I wished for. John, if you think the money thing is embarrassing, try this wish, it just popped into my head when we got the rings. I always have the ability to be perfectly dressed for whatever occasion is needed. It seemed so selfish and shallow after I made it, but it has meant that when Stevie and Stacey decided to have a fight with their finger paints when I was babysitting the other day, I suddenly found myself in a rather sturdy set of overalls and sneakers."

Pete laughed a little.

"My other wish is just as weird, and I've never really had to use it yet. But after I failed to talk to Quinn when she needed me, I made a wish about that too. I can always talk to someone, no matter how closed off or distant they might be, no matter how upset or unable to communicate, I can talk with them."

"Hey guys, were almost there."The cab driver was smiling at them as he pulled into the driveway of the hotel, "So, what's it like staying at the Fairy Towers? That's what us drivers have been calling this place. Were you here the night everything got covered in flowers? The guy who shares this cab with me was telling me that the city got turned into trees for a while the other night, must have been scary to see up close. I'm glad the media ain't got their claws into the story yet though. We, the cab drivers that is, we've been refusing to talk about it. Somehow we all just get the idea that it's better if we just let things happen rather than think too much about them."

Pete just smiled at him and nodded. "We've been thinking the same thing. So far all, of all the weird things going on around the city, a few trees and flowers seem to be the nicest. How much is the fare?"

"Twenty-seven forty."

John handed the driver a wad of cash he pulled out of his jacket pocket.  
>A pocket which Judy was certain had been empty a few seconds earlier.<p>

"Have a great night." Pete wished the man. "Hope you get a lot of good tips tonight too."

The driver smiled in return and thanked him. "I will if I'm lucky."

Pete grinned widely.

"Don't worry. You will be."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kurt was almost quivering with anticipation.

Ryan Seacrest had announced the next round would be inspired by a video from Mayor Bloomberg himself.  
>The mayor had opted for the obvious prompt, and had asked the performers to offer something inspired by the wonderful city they were all in.<p>

Vocal Adrenaline had done a slick and exciting mash-up of Sinatra's 'New York' with both 'Wonderful Town' from the musical On The Town and 'I'll take Manhattan', also from a musical.

"I'll have to admit, "Rachel had sighed, "They may be soulless, but they are very clever and very polished."

A soloist from Vocal Adrenaline had then offered a performance of Sting's 'Englishman in New York' which even Puck had been forced to admit was mind-blowingly good.

Now Kurt and the others were waiting for the stage crew to prepare the stage for the final performer for this round.

As they finished securing the wheels of the grand piano that now graced the centre of the stage, the stage crew parted to allow the performer to move to the stool and seat himself before it.

The lights dimmed and a follow-spot captured the slicked hair and dazzling smile of Blaine Anderson as he half turned to the audience and began to play.

_**Some folks like to get away, for a holiday from the neighbourhood  
>Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood<br>But I'm taking the Greyhound on that Hudson River line**_

_**I'm in a New York state of mind**_

As Blaine played and sang everyone in the crowd began to fall just a little bit in love with him.

Blaine's voice roamed between silky smooth and deep to almost husky and raw as he threw himself into the music and just...sang.

One of the competitors from the group that had performed Leonard Cohen in the last round leant over to whisper a question to Lauren and Puck.

"Is he even real? " The girl whispered, "I thought he was amazing enough just to look at, but this is...please tell me he's single."

Puck stifled a snort of laughter, and it was Lauren who had to answer her.

"Sorry, but he is well and truly taken. Can you spot the ring on his finger?"

"Damn, who's the lucky girl?"

"The lucky guy is the one sitting over there in the dragonfly jacket."Lauren said gently.

The girl asking the questions looked over to where Kurt sat, tears glistening on his cheeks.

"Oh...of course. The only person in this crowd hot enough to match him. I should have known. Are they both out in school? I mean, you guys are from Ohio aren't you? That must be so tough for them. I guess they must be strong as well as gorgeous."

"It's been pretty rough, on both of them, "Puck's voice was a little husky, as if straining to keep emotions in check, "But we're all there now to try to keep them safe. Not that they need us though. They're the toughest pair of dudes I know. Nothing can break them anymore, or even touch them. And if anyone ever tried...well... if they were lucky, I'd deal with them and not let Kurt do it. He's way more badass than me."

On stage Blaine finished the song with a final pure note and a quick tinkle of the keys.

There was silence for several seconds, and then the audience rose as one to their feet and roared their approval.

The girl who had been chatting to Puck and Lauren smiled as she applauded.

"Listen guys, we're in town for a few days after this. We should bring our two groups together. I think you're some great people to get to know."

Lauren smiled and handed her phone over to exchange numbers.

"Great idea."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So...why exactly are we drawing this pattern on the patio of the conference room again?" Billy asked Lord Tubbington as she and the Andersons finished the last strokes of the paint brush on the formerly pristine marble tiles.  
>Lord Tubbington was sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, making sure they had accurately reproduced his original sketch.<p>

"Two reasons my dear, "He answered slowly, "First, this is the basic outline of the most powerful magic circle I can remember how to create. Once we power it up, it should offer excellent protection for the children from almost any manner of hostile force."

"This would be why you have Azimio and the others bringing the kids here then?" Elaine Anderson said as she rinsed her brush in the pot of turpentine sitting on the table nearest to her.

"Exactly." Lord Tubbington said solemnly, "Also, our newest guest has never visited this place, so he needs some sort of pattern to 'home in on' so to speak. The sketch you have so excellently recreated in larger form will also act as that device."  
>He glanced at the phone sitting beside him on the branch and it beeped once.<p>

"And you're sure this...wizard knows his or her stuff?" Billy asked with a nervous expression on her face, "I mean, no offense, it's great they are willing to pitch in and all but...do we know if they know enough to actually help us?"

There was a soft pop and a slight breeze as something displaced a small amount of air in the clear area at the very centre of the painted ring.

"Well, I may have only gotten magical powers in the last few days, "A familiar voice caused her to turn and stare, "But in many ways, I've been training for this sort of job most of my life."

"Ha...Harr...you...you're..." Billy was standing open mouthed at the slight figure who stood, wand in one hand and broom in the other in the middle of the elaborate design.

"Hello, Billy isn't it? I'm Daniel."

He turned the broom sideways and let go of it.  
>It remained hanging in midair.<p>

A few seconds later he was sitting astride it, gently drifting over the rapidly drying paint.

"Didn't want to smudge it." He smiled nervously, "I think this is possibly the coolest part of Stacey's wish. She's even wished me the reflexes and stamina I need to manage this."

"Now, let's get this lot to dry fast shall we?" He said as the elevator chimed, signalling the arrival of Azimio, carrying Sebastian's bed which was currently filled to overflowing with sleeping children.

Daniel whispered something and waved the wand across the wet paint.

With a soft, warm breeze the paint was dry.  
>Looking up he noted the bemused expressions of the adults around him.<p>

"Oh, Emma, Rupert and I used to get really bored between takes. One of our favourite things was coming up with new spells to do all sorts of crazy things. I think Mrs R..I mean, Joanne, thought we were crazier than she was. It's come in handy just recently though.

He twirled his wand around his fingers and slipped it back into his jacket.


End file.
